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WITH A FEW SWIFT STROKES HE CUT THE BEAN STALK 





Illustrated Jyy Ella. DoIbear~ dee. 



'Whitman Tublishing Co 


RACINE CHICAGO 


COPYRIGHT, 1917, BY 
WHITMAN PUBLISHING COMPANY 



SEP 17/917 


©CI.A473486 
^>1X7 ( . 


TABLE OF CONTENTS 


INTRODUCTION 7 

JACK AND THE BEAN STALK 9 

THE WILD SWANS 15 

ALADDIN AND HIS WONDERFUL LAMP 22 

THE UGLY DUCKLING 29 

TOM THUMB 38 

THE TABLE, THE ASS AND THE STICK 43 

CINDERELLA OR THE GLASS SLIPPER 49 

RAPUNZEL 56 

THE OLD MAN AND HIS GRANDSON 61 

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD 63 

THE SPIRIT IN THE BOTTLE 67 

RIQUET WITH THE TUFT 72 

CLEVER ALICE 76 

THE POOR MILLER’S SON AND THE CAT 79 

THE SEVEN RAVENS 83 

THE FROG PRINCE 86 

RUMPELSTILTSKIN 90 

THE ELVES AND THE SHOEMAKER 94 

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 97 

THE THREE LITTLE MEN IN THE WOOD 103 

THE THREE LANGUAGES 109 

PUSS IN BOOTS 112 

CLEVER GRETHEL 117 

SNOW WHITE AND ROSE RED 120 

THE BRAVE LITTLE TAILOR 127 

FAITHFUL JOHN 134 

THE KNAPSACK, THE HAT AND THE HORN 142 

THE TINDER BOX 149 

OLD SULTAN 156 

JORINDA AND JORINDEL 158 

SLEEPING BEAUTY 161 


iv CONTENTS 

THE ROBBER BRIDEGROOM 166 

THE SPINDLE, SHUTTLE AND NEEDLE 170 

THE GOOSE GIRL 175 

THE THREE BEARS 180 

BLUE BEARD 184 

THE LITTLE MATCH GIRL 189 

HOP-O’-MY-THUMB 192 

JACK THE GIANT KILLER 196 

THE THREE SPINNERS 202 

ROLAND 205 

THE MUSICIANS OF BREMEN 209 

A REAL PRINCESS 213 

THE FLYING TRUNK 215 

HANS IN LUCK 219 

THICK-HEADED JACK 223 

THE FISHERMAN AND HIS WIFE 227 

HANSEL AND GRETHEL 233 

THE STORY OF CHICKEN-LICKEN 236 

THE WATER OF LIFE 239 

LITTLE ONE-EYE, LITTLE TWO-EYES, LITTLE 

THREE-EYES 246 


LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 


WITH A FEW SWIFT STROKES HE CUT THE BEAN- 
STALK (Color frontispiece) 

ILLUSTRATED TITLE PAGE 1 

IN THE DAYS OF KING ALFRED 9 

HE COUNTED OUT THE MONEY 14 

ELISA GAVE A LOW CRY AND SPRANG AMONG 

THEM (Color) 16 

ALADDIN WAS A CHINESE BOY 22 

A GREAT STONE WITH A BRASS RING, UPON IT. . . . 24 

THE UGLY DUCKLING 29 

THROUGH THE THICKET CAME THREE BEAUTIFUL 

SWANS 36 

FROM HIS HIDING PLACE UNDER A BIG RED TULIP 38 
TOM THUMB WAS NO BIGGER THAN A FAIRY. ... 39 

TOM THUMB SAT ON THE RIM OF ONE OF THE 

MEN’S HATS 41 

HE SAID “TABLE SET THYSELF” 43 

CINDERELLA AT THE BALL (Color) 49 

CINDERELLA SLIPPED AWAY UNNOTICED 53 

YOUR HORSES SHALL BECOME MICE 55 

SHE LET DOWN HER TRESSES 56 

THE OLD MAN SAT BEHIND THE OVEN 61 

SHE BEGAN TO GATHER WILD FLOWERS 63 

THE LITTLE GIRL MET A GREAT BIG WOLF 64 

SHE TAPPED AT THE DOOR (Color) 65 

HE PICKED IT UP AND HELD IT TO THE LIGHT. ... 67 

SHE MET A LITTLE MAN DRESSED VERY RICHLY 72 

SHE TAPPED ON THE WINDOW 76 

THERE LIVED IN A MILL AN OLD MILLER 79 

THE SEVEN RAVENS 83 

“WAIT,” SAID THE FROG, “TAKE ME WITH YOU” 86 

THE DWARF ASKED HER 90 

THE FUNNY LITTLE MAN APPEARED 92 

THEY BEGAN TO STITCH AND RAP-A-TAP-TAP 94 

THEY TOOK HANDS AND DANCED 96 


vi ILLUSTRATIONS 

WHEN THEY REACHED THE PALACE (Color) 97 

THE BEAST 97 

THE GIRL HAD SWEPT THE SNOW AWAY 103 

I HAVE LEARNED WHAT THE DOGS BARK 109 

SO THEY WENT IN AND PUSS SHOWED THEM.... 112 

HE HURRIED TO THE PALACE (Color) 113 

A COOK NAMED GRETHEL 117 

SNOW WHITE AND ROSE RED 120 

A GREAT FAT BEAR POKED HIS BLACK HEAD IN. . 125 

THE BRAVE LITTLE TAILOR 127 

THE GIANT READ, “SEVEN AT A BLOW” 129 

FAITHFUL JOHN AND THE CASTLE 134 

TO GO OUT INTO THE WORLD 142 

MANY STEAMING DISHES WERE ON THE NAPKIN 146 
A SOLDIER CAME MARCHING ALONG THE ROAD.. 149 

OLD SULTAN 156 

JORINDEL FLEW AFTER HER AND TOUCHED THE 

BASKET 158 

THE ENCHANTMENT ENDED, THE PRINCESS 

AWOKE 161 

SLEEPING BEAUTY 161 

SHE WENT IN BUT NO ONE WAS THERE 166 

THE KING’S SON WAS LOOKING ABOUT HIM 170 

LIVED WITH HER GODMOTHER 173 

DROVE THE GEESE 175 

SHE BRAIDED HER HAIR WHICH WAS OF PURE 

GOLD (Color) 176 

BROKE MY CHAIR ALL TO PIECES 180 

THE THREE BEARS WATCHED GOLDILOCKS RUN 

AWAY 182 

SHE DROPPED THE KEY UPON THE FLOOR 184 

SHE SAT DOWN HUDDLING HERSELF TOGETHER 189 
AS HE WENT ALONG HE DROPPED THEM UPON 

THE GROUND 192 

CLOSE BY, THERE WAS A HUGE CASTLE 196 

THE THREE SPINNERS 202 

ROLAND 205 

THE MUSICIANS CLIMBED ON TOP OF EACH OTHER* 209 

I SCARCELY CLOSED MY EYES ALL NIGHT 213 

HE SAW A GREAT CASTLE 215 

HANS WENT JOYFULLY ON WITH HIS GOOSE 219 

HE MOUNTED THE OLD GOAT 223 

A POOR LITTLE HUT BY THE SEA 227 

STORY OF CHICKEN-LICKEN 236 

HE TOOK SOME WATER IN A CUP 239 

DIRECTLY SHE TOUCHED THE BOUGHS 246 


INTRODUCTION 


ITH the especial view of catching the 
fancy of little children, the compiler 
has examined the works of such cele- 
brated writers as Hans Christian An- 
derson, Anthony Galland of Paris 
(translator of “The Thousand and 
One Nights”), Straparola of Carravagio (author 
of “Puss in Boots”), Geoffry of Monmouth (auth- 
or of “Jack the Giant Killer”), Charles Perraulf, 
the Countess d’Aulnoy, the Grimm brothers and 
many others. Only those stirring and natural pic- 
tures that have remained with her from her child- 
hood have been here chosen for adaptation to the 
times and the manners. 

These fifty stories will never grow old. The 
sterling gold that is in them gives them a “charmed 
life.” Their originality, delicacy, and humor ap- t 
peal not only to the children for whom they were 
written, but to their elders as well. 

There is no better reading for the youth than 
Fairy Tales. They not only kindle the imagina- 
tion but develop the memory — listen to some child 
repeat a fairy tale to a little tot. Not a single in- 
cident is omitted. Moreover Fairy Tales are a 
powerful aid in teaching forbearance, courtesy, kind 
treatment of animals, love of Nature, and con- 
sideration for the poor and aged. 

Charles Dickens said: “Fairy Tales have great- 
ly helped to keep us ever young, by preserving 
through our worldly ways one slender track not 
overgrown with weeds, where we may walk with 
children, sharing their delights. 





^k 


-'mftr ^rnoti3 



Jack and the Bean Stalk 

I N the days of King Alfred, there lived a poor woman who 
had an only child named Jack. He was a very idle, wasteful 
and careless boy and soon he had spent all his mother’s money. 

At last they became so poor that they did not even have a 
bit of bread in the house, and the mother was forced to sell her 
only cow. She sent Jack to the village with it, and on the 
way he met a butcher, who coaxed Jack to trade it for a cap- 
fid of beans. Jack, thinking he was making a good bargain, 
exchanged the cow for the beans and hurried home to show 
them to his mother. She was so angry to think that he had 
been so stupid, that she threw the beans out of the window 
and then sat down and wept all evening. They both went 
to bed supperless that night. 


9 


10 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


Next morning when Jack awoke, he noticed that his 
window was covered with something green. He ran out into 
the yard and was greatly surprised to find that the beans had 
taken root in the night and had grown so tall that he could 
not see their tops. The stalks were so thick and had twined 
around each other in such a way, as to form a regular ladder. 

Now, Jack was a very venturesome boy, and immediately 
started to climb up the bean-stalk, but would you believe it, 
he climbed nearly an hour before he reached the top. When 
he did arrive at the top he found he was in an entirely new 
country. He looked all around hut not a house could he see. 
He walked on and finally came to a big mansion. In front 
of the door stood a plain looking woman. Jack was very 
hungry and begged the woman to give him something to eat. 
She told him she dare not, for her husband might come home at 
any minute and that he was a giant and ate little boys. But Jack 
was so tired and hungry that he coaxed her to take him in and 
give him some food. 

“You can hide me when your husband comes, and when he 
is eating his dinner I can slip out unnoticed,” said he. 

The woman was really very kind-hearted even if she was 
the wife of a giant, so she invited Jack in and gave him a good 
meal. Suddenly they heard a great noise, and the woman said : 
“Quick! Hide in that closet, for here comes my husband. If 
he sees you he will not only kill you hut me too.” 

Jack flew to the closet and hardly dared to breathe, he was so 
frightened when he peeked out the key-hole and saw what a 
terrible monster the giant was. 

The giant sat down at the kitchen table and ate enough to 
feed an army. Then he called to his wife to bring him his golden 
hen. 


JACK AND THE BEAN STALK 


11 


The wife brought a live hen and placed it on the table. 
“Lay!” roared the giant, and the hen laid an egg of solid gold. 
“Lay another!” and every time the giant said this, the hen would 
lay a larger golden egg than before. 

Jack’s eyes nearly popped out of his head as he peeked out 
and saw the golden eggs. 

In a few moments the giant dropped off to sleep and snored 
so loud that the giant’s wife never heard Jack slip out of the 
closet and steal over to the table. He quickly grabbed up the 
hen and rushed out of the house. He went back the way he had 
come and soon reached the bean-stalk, which he descended in 
safety. 

His mother was overjoyed when she saw the golden eggs 
that the hen could lay. Jack went to town and sold the eggs 
and they had so much money that they lived in great ease and 
happiness for many months. 

Soon, however, Jack became restless, and determined to 
climb the bean-stalk again. He disguised himself and painted 
his skin brown so that the giant’s wife would not recognize him. 
Then up the stalk he went, and when he came to the giant’s house, 
there stood the woman in front of the door as before. J ack spoke 
to her, telling her a pitiful tale, and begging for food and a 
night’s lodging. The woman refused, saying that several 
months ago she had taken in a small boy and the ungrateful 
wretch had stolen her husband’s golden hen. Ever since the 
giant had treated her more cruelly than ever. 

Jack appeared to be very sorry for her, and because he 
seemed so sympathetic, the woman finally agreed to let him in. 

She gave him a good supper and then hid him in a lumber- 
closet. When the giant came home he was very cross and im- 
patient. He ate a big dinner and then called for his money 


12 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


bags. When they were laid on the table, he emptied out the 
money and counted it out in great piles. Seeing his wife stand- 
ing by, watching him, he cried out: “Go to bed, and don’t be 
so slow about it.” 

The poor woman crept off to bed, and Jack was left in his 
hiding place, from where he peeked out and watched the giant 
count his money, and then put it carefully back in the bags. 
But the giant had eaten such an enormous meal that he soon 
became drowsy, and fell off to sleep. Jack then slipped out, 
seized two of the bags of money, and ran out of the house as 
fast as his legs would carry him. He reached the bean-stalk 
in safety and climbed down. His mother was dreadfully fright- 
ened when she found he had been to the giant’s house again, 
and made him promise that he would never risk his life by going 
there any more. Jack kept his promise for three years, hut 
at the end of that time the desire to visit the giant’s house again 
and see what new treasure he could bring away, grew too strong 
for him. 

One day when his mother went to the village, he again 
climbed the bean-stalk. He was so changed now that the giant’s 
wife did not recognize him, and when he begged for food, as be- 
fore, the good woman, after much persuasion, invited him in. 
When she heard her husband coming, she hid Jack in a great 
copper boiler. 

No sooner had the giant entered than he cried out: “I smell 
fresh meat!” and began to search all around the room. Jack was 
terrified and expected every minute that the monster would come 
to the great copper boiler in which he was hiding. He now 
wished himself home a thousand times. 

When the giant laid his hand on the lid of the boiler, Jack’s 
heart almost stopped beating. However, nothing happened, for 


JACK AND THE BEAN STALK 


13 


the monster did not take the trouble to lift the lid. At last he 
sat down by the fireside, and began to eat his enormous supper, 
and drink several kegs of wine. When he had finished, he com- 
manded his wife to bring him his harp. Now, this was a very 
wonderful harp, for the minute the giant said “Play!” it played 
of its own accord, without anybody touching it. The music was 
exquisite and Jack listened in rapture. He longed to possess 
that harp. “Just think,” he said to himself, “if I had that in- 
strument my mother would never make me practice any more. 
That’s a treasure worth having.” 

The harp soon lulled the giant to sleep, and as his wife had 
gone to bed early, Jack stole out of the boiler and seized the 
harp. He was eagerly running off with it, when suddenly the 
harp called out, just as if it had been alive: “Master! Master!” 
This awakened the giant in time to see Jack scampering off 
with the golden harp on his back. 

“O you rascal!” screamed the giant. “You’re the one that 
has been stealing my treasures, are you? Well, just wait till I 
catch you. I’ll eat you alive.” 

The giant started to run after Jack, but he had drunk so 
much wine that he could only stagger along slowly. 

After leading the giant a considerable race, Jack reached 
the bean-stalk, and climbed down as fast as he could, while the 
harp jdayed such a loud tune that it attracted Jack’s mother, 
who was chopping wood in the back yard. Axe in hand, she 
came running forward to see what the excitement was about. 
Just as Jack landed on the ground, the giant could be seen de- 
scending the bean-stalk. Jack laid the harp down carefully, 
seized his mother’s axe, and with a few swift strokes, cut the 
bean-stalk close off at the root. The monster fell headlong into 
the yard, and was killed instantly. 


14 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


Jack and his mother lived on m great contentment. The 
hen continued to lay golden eggs, which Jack sold, so that they 
always had plenty of money, and the golden harp gave forth 
sweeter music each day. The bean-stalk never grew up again 
and Jack’s mother was secretly delighted, for her venturesome 
boy could no longer leave her to wander in giant-land. 



The Wild Swans 



AR away from here, there once lived a king who had eleven 


A sons and one daughter named Elisa. The eleven sons were 
princes, and each went to school decorated with a star on his 
breast and a sword by his side. They wrote on gold slates with 
diamond pencils. Their little sister sat on a cut-glass footstool, 
and had a picture-book which had cost as much as half a king- 


dom. 


When the children were still young their mother died and 
shortly after the king married again. The step-mother was very 
cruel to the children and soon drove them from home. She sent 
Elisa to a far-away country to live with some poor peasants and 
to the sons she said: 

“Fly forth into the world and provide for yourselves; fly 
forth like great birds without a voice.” No sooner had she 
spoken than the eleven princes were turned into swans. 

One day when Elisa was about fifteen, she escaped from the 
cottage and went in search of her brothers. She did not know 
that the wicked queen had turned them into swans. As she was 
walking through the forest she met an old woman and asked her 
if she had ever seen eleven princes riding through the forest. 

“No,” said the woman, “but yesterday I saw eleven swans 
with golden crowns upon their heads, come swimming up the 
river.” 

Then Elisa said good-bye to the old woman, and followed 
the course of the river till it flowed out into the sea. 


15 


16 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


There on the drifted seaweed lay eleven white swans’ 
feathers. Elisa gathered them up into a bundle, and sat down and 
watched the rolling waves. 

Towards sunset she saw eleven wild swans, with golden 
crowns upon their heads, come flying to the shore, one behind the 
other, like a long white ribbon. She hid behind a bush, and the 
swans alighted close beside her and flapped their great, white 
wings. 

The moment the sun set in the sea, their feathers disappeared 
and eleven young princes stood upon the shore. Elisa gave a 
low cry and sprang towards them. They were grown and al- 
tered, but she felt sure they were her own dear brothers. She 
called them by their names and the princes clasped their little 
sister in their arms. She, too, had grown and was now a tall, 
beautiful maiden. They laughed and cried together, and told 
each other how wickedly their stepmother had treated them. 

“As long as the sun is above the horizon,” said the eldest of 
the brothers, “we fly about in the shape of wild swans, but after 
sunset we regain our human shape. That is why we are obliged to 
make for the shore every evening, for if the sun should set while 
we were above the water we would sink down and be drowned.” 

'‘Tomorrow we must fly away from here,” said another 
brother, “but we do not want to leave you here alone. Have 
you the courage to come along with us? Surely our wings could 
carry you across the sea.” 

“Oh, indeed I will not be afraid,” said Elisa. “Please take 
me with you.” 

So all night long they worked to make a raft of coarse grass 
and willow bark. The sister lay down upon it and when the sun 
rose, her eleven brothers, in the shape of wild swans, lifted the 
raft in their beaks and flew with her towards the clouds. 



ELISA GAVE A LOW CRY AND SPRANG AMONG THEM 





THE WILD SWANS 


17 


They flew on the whole day through, flying more slowly 
than usual because of the weight they had to carry. 

At last they reached a lovely coast with faint blue mountain 
peaks, cities and palaces. The swan-brothers set Elisa down 
before a cave where they were to pass the night. 

“Now we shall see what you will dream of tonight,” said the 
youngest prince as he led her to her sleeping-room. 

“Heaven grant that I may dream how I can set you free,” 
she said. The thought filled her heart; she prayed fervently to 
God for help, and even in her sleep her prayer went on. 

She dreamed that she flew to the palace of a wonderful 
fairy. The fairy came to meet her, bright and radiant and said: 
“You can save your brothers if you have courage and constancy. 
Ho you see these stinging-nettles in my hands? Those which 
grow near the entrance of your cave are the same kind. You 
must gather them though the blisters rise all over your hands. 
Tread out the nettles with your feet till you have made them into 
flax. When you have woven eleven coats of the flax, with long 
sleeves, throw them over the eleven swans, and the spell will be 
broken. If you run out of nettles the only other place you can 
get them is in the church-yard. Remember that. From the 
moment you begin your work till the moment when it is finished, 
no word must pass your lips; not even if the task should last for 
years. The first word you speak will he a fatal dagger in the 
hearts of your brothers.” 

The fairy touched Elisa’s hand with the burning nettles; a 
sharp pain like fire shot through her fingers, and she awoke. 
It was daylight, and by her side lay a nettle such as she had seen 
in her dream. She fell on her knees and thanked God, then 
went out of the cave to begin her work. 

She seized the stinging-nettles with her delicate fingers; 
they burned her like fire. Blisters rose up on her hands and 


18 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


arms, but she willingly bore the pain for the sake of her dear 
brothers. She trod the nettles with her feet and wove the green 
flax. 

When the sun had set, her brothers came home and won- 
dered to find her so silent, but they understood what she was do- 
ing. The youngest brother wept, and where the tears fell on her 
hands, the blisters disappeared and she felt no pain. 

She spent the whole night over her work, for she could not 
rest till she had broken the evil spell and set her brothers free. 
The next day she worked alone while the swans were away. The 
tim« flew by faster than ever, and by nightfall one coat was 
finished and the second was begun. 

Suddenly a hunting horn was heard among the rocks. The 
sound came nearer. She seized her bundle of nettles, tied them 
up together, and sat down holding them in her hand. In another 
moment a party of hunters stopped before the entrance of the 
cave. The handsomest of the huntsmen was the king of the land. 
As he gazed upon Elisa he thought she was the most beautiful 
girl he had ever seen. 

“How did you come here, my lovely child ?” he cried. Elisa 
shook her head; she dared not speak, for she remembered what 
the fairy had told her. 

Tome with me,” said the king. “You must not stay here. 
If you are as good as you are beautiful, I will dress you in silk 
and velvet, and set my golden crown upon your head.” He lifted 
her onto his horse, in spite of her bitter weeping. Springing 
up behind her they then galloped away. 

When they came to the palace, Elisa was given into the care 
of several maids of honor who dressed her in royal robes of velvet 
and ermine, wound strings of pearls in her golden hair, and drew 
ori delicate gloves over her blistered hands. 

As she stood there in her exquisite dress, she looked so 


THE WILD SWANS 


19 


beautiful that the courtiers bowed before her, and the young 
king chose her for his bride. But the archbishop shook his head, 
and whispered that the lovely forest maiden was probably a 
witch who had dazzled the king’s eyes. 

The king showed Elisa through the palace but nothing in- 
terested her. She was the picture of misery till they came to a 
small room hung with green boughs, like the forest cave. On the 
rich green carpet lay her bundle of flax and the coat which she 
had already fiished. One of the hunters had brought them along 
as curiosities. 

For the first time the color came back to her cheeks, and a 
smile rose to her lips. She kissed the young king’s hand, and 
he clasped her to his heart. 

The hells soon rang out for the wedding; the beautiful forest 
maiden was to be queen over all the land. Though the arch- 
bishop had whispered evil words into the king’s ear, he was too 
much in love to heed them, and so the marriage took place. 

Every day Elisa learned to love the king more dearly and 
longed to confide in him and tell him all she suffered. But she 
knew that if she broke her silence it would cause the death of 
her dear brothers. She had to finish her work in silence. Every 
night she stole from his side to her little green room and knitted 
one coat after another. When she had finished the seventh, her 
flax was gone. 

She remembered that tl*e nettles grew in the churchyard, 
and that she had to gather them herself. But how was she to 
get there? 

After much hesitation, she stole out one moonlight night. 
She passed through the gardens and lonely streets and finally 
reached the churchyard. Seated on one of the gravestones she 
saw a group of hideous witches. She was obliged to pass close to 
them, and they fixed their wicked eyes on her. But she prayed 


20 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


silently as she gathered the burning nettles and then returned 
safely to the palace. 

Unfortunately for Elisa, the archbishop had seen her leave 
the castle at midnight. He immediately told the king that he had 
found proof that she was a witch. Two heavy tears rolled down 
the king’s cheeks. The next night he feigned sleep, and when 
he saw Elisa rise and disappear into her little room his heart 
was very sad. Night after night he watched her leave his side, 
and day by day his face grew sadder and darker. 

Elisa saw the change in the king and felt it keenly, though 
she did not guess the cause. Meanwhile the work was nearly 
done. There remained only one coat to finish, but once more 
her flax failed her. 

She went again to the churchyard, though she dreaded to 
pass by the witches. The king and archbishop followed her. 
When the king saw her disappear in the churchyard and go 
toward the witches, he turned back, for he was at last convinced 
that she was a member of the hideous band. 

“The people must judge her,” he said. “I cannot.” The 
people showed no mercy. They sentenced her to be burned at 
the stake. 

They led her out of the palace into a dark, damp cell, where 
the wind howled through the iron-barred windows. Instead of 
silk and velvet they gave her the bundle of green nettles and the 
ten knitted coats as a pillow for her head. They could have 
given her nothing she liked better. She took up her work and 
prayed to heaven that she might have time to finish it. 

Toward sunset she heard the flutter of a swan’s wings. It 
was her youngest brother who had found her at last. Elisa 
sobbed for joy. Her work was nearly ended and her dear broth- 
ers were near. She worked feverishly all night long. 

The dawn approached — it was an hour before sunrise. At 


THE WILD SWANS 


21 


the palace gates the eleven princes begged for entrance, but the 
king was sleeping and could not be disturbed so early. Soon the 
sun rose, and then eleven white swans could be seen flying across 
the palace roof. 

The crowd went streaming out from the city gates to see 
the witch burned at the stake. Elisa sat in a cart, drawn by a 
half -starved horse. She still worked on the last coat. The other 
ten lay at her feet. 

The mob mocked her and were about to seize the knitted 
coats, when eleven great swans swooped down upon them, closed 
round the cart, and drove back the crowd with their beaks and 
wings. 

As the executioner was about to seize her hand, Elisa turned 
and hurriedly threw the knitted coats over the eleven swans. 
Eleven young princes stood in their place. The youngest had a 
swan’s wing instead of an arm, for she had not had time to finish 
the last coat. 

“Now I may speak,” she cried. “I am innocent.” 

And the crowd who had seen all that passed, bowed down 
before her as before a saint. But Elisa fell fainting in her broth- 
ers’ arms. Grief, suspense, and pain had almost broken her 
heart. 

“Yes, she is innocent,” said her eldest brother, and he told 
the whole story of their lives. While he was speaking, the logs 
of wood around the stake turned into rose bushes covered with 
crimson flowers, and above them rose one white flower which 
glittered like a star. The king gathered it and laid it on Elisa’s 
breast ; she awoke with peace and gladness in her heart. 

All the church bells began to ring of their own accord, and 
there was such a bridal procession back to the palace as no other 
king had ever had before. 


Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp 


A LADDIN was a Chinese boy 
and lived in the great city of 
Pekin. One day he was playing in 
the streets when a stranger came up 
to him and said: “How do you do? 
my boy. Don’t you recognize me? 
I’m your uncle.” 

Now Aladdin had never seen the 
man before and didn’t understand 
how he could be his uncle. But the 
stranger explained that he had always 
lived in Africa, and this was the first 
time he had been able to come to 
China to pay a visit to Aladdin’s 
mother. After the stranger had given 
Aladdin a handful of money, the boy 
was quite ready to believe that he was 
his uncle. 

“Now,” said the stranger, “before I go to your house, I would 
like to take a walk out into the country. I hear you have 
beautiful mountains around here and I am very anxious to see 
them. Will you show me the way?” 

Aladdin was willing, and together they left the city. 

At last they came to some low mountains, and as they were 
both tired they sat down to rest. The stranger built a fire and as 
the sticks began to blaze he threw some incense on them and 



22 


ALADDIN AND HIS WONDERFUL LAMP 


23 


said several magical words which Aladdin could not understand. 
Scarcely had he done so when the earth opened before them, and 
a great stone could be seen with a brass ring fastened in it. Alad- 
din was so frightened that he tried to run away, but the stranger 
caught hold of him and held him. “Do not be afraid, my boy, 
but listen to what I tell you. I am a magician and have learned 
from my wise books that a great treasure is hidden under this 
rock. I am not permitted to go down after it myself, so you 
must go, and we will then both be richer than the greatest mon- 
arch in the world.” 

On hearing this, Aladdin was quite willing to do anything 
the magician commanded. “Take hold of the stone and lift it 
up,” ordered the uncle. Aladdin did so, and there immediately 
appeared a stone staircase about three or four feet deep, leading 
down to a door. “Go down those steps, my boy,” said the Afri- 
can magician, “and open the door. It will lead you into a palace 
of marble. Some of the rooms are very narrow, and as you pass 
through you must be careful not to touch the walls, for if you do 
you will die instantly. When you have passed through the 
palace, you will come to a beautiful garden and at the further 
end hangs a lighted lamp. You must take it down, blow out the 
flame and empty out the oil. When you have done this, conceal it 
in your waistband and bring it back to me.” 

After saying this the magician took off a ring and placed it 
on Aladdin’s finger, telling him that it was a charm and would 
protect him from all danger. 

Aladdin descended the steps and carefully following the di- 
rections given him, soon came to the garden and took down the 
lamp. He was surprised to see that the trees growing around 
him bore fruit made of precious stones. He gathered as many 
jewels as he could and hid them in his pockets and his hat. Soon 
he arrived at the mouth of the cave, where the magician was 


24 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 



awaiting him impatiently. When Aladdin saw him he cried 
out, “Give me your hand, uncle, and help me up.” 

“Give me the lamp first,” answered the man, but the lad re- 
fused to give it up and this so angered the magician that he flew 
into a passion, said two magical words, and lo! the stone rolled 
back into place and the earth closed over as it was in the be- 
ginning. 

The magician, thinking that he was leaving the boy to per- 
ish, hurried out of the city, still very angry to think that he had 
not been able to get the treasured lamp. His black art books 
had told him the secret of the lamp. But it was forbidden him 
to go down into the cave. It had to be given to him willingly by 
another person, so that was why he had asked Aladdin to go 
after it for him. 

When the earth closed over the boy he was so terrified that 
he cried out : “Here is the lamp. I will give it to you. I was only 
teasing you.” But no answer came, and he crept back down 


ALADDIN AND HIS WONDERFUL LAMP 


25 


the stairs to the door but it would not open again. Aladdin 
clasped his hands to pray and as he did so he rubbed the ring 
that the magician had given him. Immediately a Genie all 
dressed in blue appeared and asked him what he wished. 

“Oh, please get me out of this dreadful place,” cried Alad- 
din. He had no sooner spoken these words than he found himself 
back in his own home. He related his adventures to his mother 
and she was so astonished she could hardly believe her ears. 
She glanced at the lamp, and as it was so dull looking she began 
to shine it with her apron. No sooner had she touched it than a 
hideous Genie of gigantic size appeared, all dressed in red, and 
asked her what she desired. 

She was too terrified to speak, but Aladdin snatched the 
lamp out of her hand and said boldly: “We are hungry; bring us 
something to eat.” Immediately delicious fruits and meats in 
solid silver dishes appeared, and they sat down and had a bounti- 
ful dinner. 

When the mother’s hunger was satisfied she begged Aladdin 
to sell the lamp, as it would surely bring harm to them in the end. 
“You know,” she said, “that our prophet has told us many times 
that Genies are nothing but devils.” 

But Aladdin knew it was a wonderful lamp and would not 
j^art with it. He hid it away, however, where it would not 
bother his mother. 

One day the emperor’s daughter Budder-al-Buddoor was 
driving through the Park of the Camelias, when Aladdin hap- 
pened to see her. He was so impressed with her beauty that he 
made up his mind then and there that he would marry her. So 
he hastened home, gathered together the precious stones that he 
had brought from the enchanted garden where he found the lamp, 
and sent them by his mother to the emperor. 

The mother reached the palace just as the great king was 


26 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


returning from a promenade. She handed him the precious jewels 
and told him that her son wished to marry the beautiful princess. 
The emperor was so astonished at seeing such magnificent dia- 
monds, emeralds, rubies and other dazzling stones, that he told 
the woman that he would consider the matter and asked her to 
come back in three months. 

In the meantime the emperor had his jewelers examine the 
stones that had been given him, and they declared that they were 
the biggest and most wonderful precious stones in the kingdom. 
So Aladdin was sent for and when he appeared at the royal 
court he was told that he could marry the princess if he could 
present her with forty carved golden cups filled with the same 
kind of precious stones. 

Aladdin went home, hunted up his lamp, and after rubbing 
it a second or two, out sprang the terrible Genie and asked what 
he wanted. 

Aladdin told him his wishes and the Genie disappeared a 
moment and then returned with forty black slaves carrying the 
forty golden cups incrusted with diamonds, and overflowing 
with pearls, rubies and emeralds. 

When the emperor saw them he immediately gave his con- 
sent to the marriage which took place next day. In the mean- 
time, Aladdin rubbed his lamp again, and bade the Genie build 
him a magnificent palace, and furnish it with golden furniture. 
He also demanded rich clothes for his mother and himself, a 
retinue of servants, and horses better than any owned by the 
emperor. 

He and his mother then rode in great state to the emperor’s 
castle where the wedding took place amid much rejoicing. 

The African magician, however, soon learned of the mar- 
riage and how the prince had built a palace in one night, and he 
began to wonder if it could be that Aladdin had escaped with 


ALADDIN AND HIS WONDERFUL LAMP 


27 


the magic lamp, the day that he had closed in the earth upon him. 
So he traveled again to China and sought out the beautiful palace. 
The minute he saw it he knew that no one but the Genies of the 
lamp could have built it. So he determined to get the lamp 
away from Aladdin. 

He went to a coppersmith and bought a dozen lamps, then 
went about the streets calling out: “New lamps for old ones.” 
When he passed under the princess’ window she heard him and 
as she was as fond of a good bargain as any other woman, she 
said to one of her slaves: “There is an old lamp in the prince’s 
room; go and get it and bring it to me.” 

When the magician saw the lamp he could hardly conceal 
his joy and quickly gave the princess a bright new one for it. 
He then hurried out of the city, and when he came to a lone- 
some spot he rubbed the lamp and out came the Genie, and asked 
him what he desired. 

“I command you immediately to transport me and the 
princess’ palace, with all its people back to Africa.” 

Next morning when the emperor went to call on his 
daughter, his amazement was unbounded when he found that 
the castle was nowhere to be seen. 

Now all this took place when Aladdin was out hunting for 
tigers. When he returned his palace of course was gone. To 
make matters worse, the emperor was very angry at him and 
asked him what he had done with his daughter. Said he, “If the 
palace is not rebuilt in forty days, and my daughter returned to 
me, you shall immediately be put to death.” 

Aladdin was very sad for he knew he was powerless to do 
anything without his lamp. He wrung his hands in despair, and 
without knowing it, touched the magic ring on his finger. Im- 
mediately the blue Genie appeared and asked him what he 
wanted. 


28 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


“Return me my palace and my wife,” cried he in sudden 
delight. 

But this Genie was not as powerful as the red Genie of the 
lamp and all he could do was to transport Aladdin to Africa 
where the palace was now located. There he found his wife and 
learned from her own lips how she had traded his old lamp for 
a new one and how the next morning she had found herself in an 
unknown country. 

“But where is the lamp now?” asked Aladdin. 

“The African magician carries it carefully wrapped up in 
his bosom. Only this morning he came to see me and showed it 
to me in triumph,” answered his wife. 

So it was planned that the princess should invite the ma- 
gician to dinner that very evening, and put some terrible poison 
in his wine. The unsuspecting magician drank his wine and im- 
mediately fell dead on the floor. Aladdin, who had been hid- 
ing, rushed out and seized the lamp which was hidden in his 
clothes. He rubbed it with a quick stroke, and out jumped the 
great red Genie and asked him what he wished. 

“Take us, as well as our palace and all the people, back to 
the very place it came from,” ordered Aladdin. 

The Genie bowed his head in token of obedience, and dis- 
appeared. Instantly the palace was transported back to China, 
and its removal was only felt by two little shocks — one when it 
was lifted up and the other when it was set down again. 

Next morning when the emperor looked out of his win- 
dows, there stood the princess’ palace as before. He hurried 
over to pay a visit and to ask Aladdin’s forgiveness for having 
threatened him with death. 

Several years later the emperor died of old age and as he had 
no sons, Aladdin and the princess became the rulers of all China 
and lived happily ever afterward. 



The Ugly Duckling 

T HE country was beautiful for it was summer. The corn 
and the oats were bright green. An old farm house nestled 
among the apple-trees, and over beyond lay a deep wood. 

Under some shrubbery, down by the creek, a duck had made 
her nest. Here she sat faithfully on her eggs, all day long. She 
began to feel rather tired of waiting. None of the other ducks 
came to pay her a visit, for they were too busy swimming in the 
cool water. 

At last one egg after another chipped and opened, anu out 
came a little head from each shell. “Peep ! peep !” they cried. 

“Quack! quack!” corrected the mother, and they quacked 
as well as they could. 

“How large the world is!” they cried, for they had a great 
deal more room now than they had in the egg shell. 


29 


30 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


“Do you think this is the whole world?” asked the mother. 
“Indeed not, the world reaches beyond the other side of the 
garden, right into the parson’s field, but I have never been there 
myself.” 

Then she stood up and began to count her ducklings. 
“Dear me,” she said, “the largest egg is still left. How much 
longer is it going to be I wonder? I declare I’m quite tired of 
sitting here;” but she sat down again. 

“Well, how are you getting on?” said an old duck, who had 
come to pay her a visit. 

“I’m waiting for this one egg,” said the duck. “It will not 
chip. But just look at the others. Are they not the very prettiest 
little ducks that you ever saw? They are so much like their 
father.” 

“Let me look at the egg that won’t chip,” said the old duck. 
“Take my word for it, it is a turkey’s egg. I was once taken 
in, in the very same way myself, and had no end of trouble with 
the little thing. It was frightened at the sight of water. I could 
not teach it to swim. I clucked and quacked, but it was of no 
use. Let me see the egg. Oh, yes, that’s a turkey’s egg. Don’t 
waste any more time on it, but begin to teach the other children 
how to swim.” 

“Well, I will just sit a little longer on it,” said the duck; “I 
have been sitting so long, I may just as well wait a few days 
more.” 

“Just as you please,” said the old duck, and away she went. 

At last the large egg cracked. “Peep! peep!” said the 
young one, as he waddled out. 

The duck looked at him. “Well, this is an enormous duck- 
ling,” she said ; “none of the others look like him. I wonder if it 
is a young turkey? Well, we shall soon see. Into the water he 
must go, even if I have to push him in myself.” 


THE UGLY DUCKLING 


31 


The next day was bright and beautiful, and the mother 
with the whole family went down to the canal. Splash! down 
she went into the water. “Quack! quack!” she said, and one 
duckling after the other tumbled in. The water went over their 
heads, but they soon came up again, and swam with ease, their 
legs seeming to move of themselves. They were all in the water, 
even the ugly gray Duckling. 

“No, this is not a turkey,” she said; “see how nicely he uses 
his legs, how gracefully he carries himself. He is my own child ; 
in fact, he is rather handsome when you come to look at him. 
Quack ! quack ! now come along with me, and I will take you into 
the world, and introduce you to the poultry-yard.” 

But all the other ducks in the yard looked at them, and 
said quite distinctly: “Well, now we are going to have this new 
lot, too — as if there were not enough of us already. Oh! look 
at that ugly Duckling — we won’t stand him!” And one of the 
ducks flew at him and bit him. 

“Let him alone,” said his mother; “he is not doing any harm 
to any one.” 

“But he is so big and uncommon,” said the duck that had 
bitten him; “he must be knocked about a little.” 

“Those children of yours are very pretty, mother,” said the 
old duck with the red rag around her leg. “They are all pretty, 
except one; he is a failure.” 

“I dare say he will grow handsome in time, and no doubt 
he will get smaller. He has been lying too long in the egg; that 
is why his shape is not quite right.” So the mother duck scratched 
his neck and stroked him all over. 

“The other ducklings are pretty enough,” said the old duck; 
“just make yourself at home.” 

So they made themselves at home; but the poor Duckling 
that came out of the last egg, and looked so ugly, was beaten, 


32 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


knocked about, and sneered at by the ducks and the fowls. “He 
is too big,” they all said, and the turkey-cock puffed himself out 
like a ship in full sail, and went straight up to the Duckling and 
gobbled until he was quite red in the face. The poor Duckling 
did not know whether to stand still or walk away. He felt quite 
miserable, because he was so ugly. 

Thus the first day went by, and afterward it became worse 
and worse. The poor Duckling was driven about by every one; 
even his brothers and sisters were angry with him, and said fre- 
quently, “If only the cat would take you, you silly thing!” And 
the mother duck finally said, “If only you were far away!” And 
the ducks bit him, and the chickens pecked at him, and the girl 
who fed the poultry kicked at him with her foot. One day he 
flew over the fence, and even the little birds in the bush were 
frightened away. “It is because I am so ugly,” thought the 
Duckling, and he shut his eyes ; but he ran on all the same, until 
he came to the big moor where the wild ducks lived. 

“Where do you come from?” they asked. “You are un- 
commonly ugly,” said the wild ducks, “but that is no matter, so 
long as you don’t marry into our family.” 

Poor thing! he had no thought of getting married; if only 
they would allow him to lie in the rushes and drink a little of 
the marsh water. 

“Look here,” they said, “you are so ugly that we have taken 
a fancy to you. Would you like to come along with us and be- 
come a bird-of-passage? On the next moor, not far from here, 
there are some lovely wild geese, all unmarried, and they all say 
‘hiss! hiss!’ Although you are so ugly, it would be a chance of 
making your fortune.” 

Bang! bang! sounded in the air; the two ganders fell down 
amongst the rushes, and the water became blood-red. Again 
came the sound — bang! bang! and the whole flock of wild geese 


THE UGLY DUCKLING 


33 


flew up from the reeds Then there was another report. It was 
a large shooting party, and the sportsmen were lying all around 
the moor, while some of them were sitting on the branches of 
trees that overhung the rushes. The blue smoke rose in clouds 
through the dark trees and floated away across the water. 

It was late in the day before things began to get quiet, but 
the poor Duckling did not dare move. He waited for several 
hours before he began to look around, and then he hurried away 
from the moor as fast as he could. Over fields and meadows 
he ran, but as it was windy it was difficult for him to get along. 
Toward evening he reached a humble little cottage; it was so 
dilapidated that it did not know on which side to fall, and there- 
fore it continued to stand up. 

The wind was whistling around the Duckling, and he was 
obliged to sit down in order not to he blown away. The weather 
was getting worse and worse, when he suddenly noticed that the 
door of the cottage had broken away from one of its hinges, and 
hung so crookedly that he could just creep through the crack 
into the room. 

Here lived an old woman with her Cat and her Hen. The 
Cat could arch his back, and purr, and could even give out sparks, 
but only when you stroked him the wrong way. The Hen had 
neat little legs, and was named “Henny Shortlegs.” She laid 
plenty of eggs, and the old woman loved her as her own child. 

In the morning the strange Duckling was at once discovered, 
and the Cat began to purr and the Hen to cackle. 

“What is the matter?” said the old woman, peering around, 
and as she did not see well, she thought that the Duckling was a 
fat duck that had gone astray. “This is a splendid find,” she 
thought ; “now I shall have ducks’ eggs, if only it is not a drake — 
but that we must find out.” So the Duckling was put on a trial 
for three weeks, but no eggs came. 


34 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


The Cat was master of the house and the Hen was mistress, 
and so they always said, “We and the world;” for they considered 
that they were half the world, and the better half. The Duck- 
ling thought that others might have a different opinion, but the 
Hen would not agree with this. “Can you lay eggs?” she asked. 
“No — well, then, you will have to hold your tongue.” 

And the Cat said: “Can you arch your back, or purr, or give 
out sparks? No — well, then, you must not have an opinion when 
other people talk;” and the Duckling sat in a corner in a bad 
temper. Then he began to think of the fresh air and the sun- 
shine, and felt a strange longing to fly out over the water. At 
last he could keep it to himself no longer : he had to tell the Hen 
about it. 

“What is the matter with you?” she said; “you have nothing 
to do — that is why you get such fancies into your head. If you 
could lay an egg, or purr, it would be all right.” 

“But it is so lovely to swim on the water,” said the Duck- 
ling, “so nice to feel the water close over your head when you 
plunge down to the bottom!” 

“A real pleasure that must be!” said the Hen; “you are 
certainly going mad! Just ask the Cat, who is the wisest person 
I know, if he likes to float on the water or plunge below — I say 
nothing of my own opinion. Or ask your mistress, if she would 
like to float on the water or feel it closing over her head?” 

“You don’t understand me,” said the Duckling. 

“Well, if we don’t understand you, I should like to know 
who would. You don’t mean to say that you are wiser than the 
Cat and the old woman, not to mention myself?” 

“I think I will go out into the world,” said the Duckling. 

“Yes, do!” said the Hen. So the Duckling went. He 
floated on the water, and dived beneath, but he was avoided by all 
other animals, because of his ugliness. 


THE UGLY DUCKLING 


35 


One evening, as the sun was setting, a whole flight of beauti- 
ful great birds rose out of the bushes. The Duckling had never 
seen anything so pretty as these birds, which were shining white, 
and had long, slender necks. They were wild swans, and they 
uttered a peculiar cry as they spread their broad wings and flew 
away to warmer climes, across the wide seas. They rose very 
high in the air, and the ugly Duckling felt quite a strange sen- 
sation as he watched them. 

He whirled round and round in the water like a wheel, 
stretched his neck after them high up in the air, and uttered a 
cry, so loud and strange that he frightened himself. 

Day by day the winter grew very cold ! The Duckling had 
to swim about in the water so as to keep himself from freezing, 
and every night the hole in which he was swimming became 
smaller and smaller. It was freezing so hard that the ice cracked ; 
and the Duckling had to move his legs constantly to and fro to 
prevent the water from freezing up altogether. At last he be- 
came exhausted, and lay quite still, and so he froze fast into the 
ice. 

Early in the morning a peasant came along and saw him. 
He went out to the Duckling, knocked a hole in the ice with his 
wooden shoe, and took him home to his wife. 

Here he was brought to life again. The children wanted to 
play with him, but the Duckling thought they might hurt him, 
and in his fright he flew into the milk-basin, and the milk was 
spilt all over the floor. The woman screamed and threw her 
hands up in the air ; then he flew down into the butter-tub, from 
there to the meal-barrel, and out again. What a state he was in! 
The woman screamed and struck him with the fire-irons, the 
children tumbled over one another in trying to catch the poor 
Duckling, and they laughed and shouted. Luckily the door was 


36 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 



open, and out he flew through the hushes, down on the newly 
fallen snow. 

One day, as he was lying on the moor among the rushes, the 
sun began to shine warmly ; the larks were singing ; the beautiful 
spring had come! 

All at once he lifted his wings ; they beat the air more strong- 
ly than before, and bore him easily aloft. Before he knew what 
had happened, he found himself in a large garden where the 
apple-trees stood in bloom, and where clusters of sweet-scented 
lilac hung on the long green boughs, bending down toward the 
winding river. It was delightful here, on this beautiful spring 
day; and suddenly through the thicket came three beautiful 
white swans. They preened their feathers, and floated gently 


THE UGLY DUCKLING 


37 


on the water. The Duckling recognized the beautiful creatures, 
and was overcome by a strange feeling of sadness. 

“I will fly over to them, those royal birds, and they will 
kill me, because I, who am so ugly, dare to approach them. But 
after all, it is better to be killed by them than to be bitten by the 
ducks, pecked by the chickens, kicked by the maid who looks 
after the poultry-yard, and suffer misery in the winter.” So he 
flew down into the water and swam toward the beautiful swans. 
They looked at him, and drifted toward him, with outspread 

wings. 

“Kill me!’’ said the poor creature, and bent his head down 
toward the surface of the water, awaiting death. But what did 
he see in the clear water? He saw his own image, but he was no 
longer the clumsy, hideous gray bird, ugly and misshapen, but a 
swan! It does not matter if one is brought up among the ducks 
so long as one is hatched from a swan’s egg. 

The large swans swam around him and stroked him with 
their beaks. Into the garden came some little children. They 
threw bread and corn into the water, and the smallest of them 
cried, “There is a new one!” and the other children shouted 
joyously, “Yes, a new swan has arrived;” and they clapped 
their hands, and danced round and round their father and 
mother, throwing bread-crumbs and biscuits into the river. 

“The new one is the prettiest,” they said; “it is so young 
and stately.” And the old swans bowed before him. 

Then the young swan was shy and ashamed. It hid its 
head under its white wing and felt very happy, but had no 
thought of pride. It remembered how it had been mocked and 
mistreated. As the warm sun caressed it with its golden light, 
the swan lifted up its beautiful neck, fluttered its wings and 
said: “Oh, I never even dreamed of such happiness when I was 
an ugly Duckling.” 


Tom Thumb 

T HERE was once a woodman 
and his wife who had hut 
one child and he was so small that 
they gave him the name of Tom 
Thumb. Now, this cunning little 
fellow was no bigger than a fairy 
— the kind that swings on a spray 
of dowers, or hides beneath a toad- 
stool when it rains. 

Although his parents gave 
him the best care and choicest food 
he never grew any bigger, but re- 
mained the same size as when he 
was born. 

One day his father was going out to the woods to cut down 
trees. “Dear me,” said he, “I do wish I had someone to bring 
the cart after me.” 

“I’ll bring it,” said Tom Thumb, calling out from his hiding 
place, under a big red tulip. “When it’s time for me to start 
after you, mother can harness the horse and put me in his ear. 
X can tell him which way to go.” 

When the time came the mother hitched up the horse to the 
cart and placed her midget son in the horse’s ear. The animal 
went on just as if he were being driven by the woodman him- 
self, for Tom would call out, “Go on,” and “Stop,” as he wanted. 



3S 


TOM THUMB 


39 



Now, two strangers happened to see the cart going along 
without a driver and followed it till it came to the place where 
the woodman was cutting down trees. They heard Tom Thumb 
call out: “Here I am, father. Take me down.” They were 
greatly surprised when they saw the woodman lift the little fel- 
low out of the horse’s ear and set him down on a straw. 

“If we owned that little urchin,” said one of the strangers, 
“we could make a fortune out of him, carrying him from town 
to town as a show. Let us buy him.” So they proposed to the 





10 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


father that he sell the boy, but of course the father refused. Toni 
l huinl), however, crawled up his father’s coat and whispered 
in his ear to sell him. “Take the money,” said he, “and in a 
few days I’ll be back again with you.” So the father finally 
agreed, and off they went, with Tom Thumb sitting on the rim 
of one of the stranger’s hats. 

When it began to grow dark, Tom cried out: “I’m tired, 
take me down.” So the man took off his hat and set it on the 
ground, in a plowed field by the side of the road. Tom ran 
about among the furrows and at last slipped into a mouse-hole. 
“Good-night, masters,” said he, “I’m off. Mind you look sharper 
after me the next time.” Hunt as they would, they could not 
find him and finally went on, grumbling at each other to think 
that their prize had slipped out of their hands. 

At last Tom came out of his hiding-place and looked all 
around. “Aha!” said he, as he stumbled on a snail-shell, “here’s 
a fine place to sleep. So in he crept, curled up, and was soon 
asleep. He was awakened, however, by two men passing. One 
said: “But how shall we manage to steal the parson’s money?” 

“I’ll tell you,” cried Tom. 

“What noise was that?” said the frightened thief. “I’m 
sure I heard someone speaking.” They stood still listening, and 
Tom said, “Take me with you and I will show you how to get 
the parson’s money.” 

“But where are you?” said they. 

“Look about on the ground,” answered Tom, “and listen 
where the sound comes from.” 

At last the thieves found him out, and lifted him up in then- 
hands, and went on their way. When they came to the parson’s 
house Tom Thumb slipped in between the iron bars of the win- 
dow, and then called to them in a loud voice : “How much money 


TOM THUMB 


41 



shall I steal?” This woke the cook, who ran out, but in the mean- 
time the thieves had disappeared. Tom hid till the cook went 
hack to bed, then slipped out to the barn and lay down in the 
hay to pass the rest of the night. 

Early next morning the hired man went out to feed the 
cow, and carried away a big bundle of hay, with Tom sleeping 
unseen, in the middle of it. He did not wake up till he found 
himself in the mouth of the cow. “Good-lack-a-day !” said he, 
“how did I ever manage to tumble in heie?” He had to keep all 
his wits about him so that he would not get between the cow’s 
teeth and be crushed to death. At last he went down into her 
stomach. “It is rather dark here,” said he; “I guess they forgot 
to build windows in this room.” More and more hay kept com- 
ing down on top of him, until finally he cried out: “Don’t bring 


42 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


me any more hay.” The hired man heard the voice and ran o Cl 
to tell the parson that the cow was talking. 

Of course the parson wouldn’t believe him, but nevertheless 
he went out to the barn to look into the matter. Scarcely had 
he entered when the same voice called out again: “Don’t bring 
me any more hay!” Then the parson himself was frightened 
and thought that the cow was bewitched. So he ordered her 
to be killed. 

The cow’s body was thrown out in the woods behind the 
farm. A very hungry wolf came along and swallowed the whole 
of the cow’s stomach — with Tom in it — at one gulp. 

As the wolf trotted off Tom said: “I can tell you where to 
find a great treat. He then described his father’s house and how 
to get there. So the wolf went to the house that very night and 
crept into the kitchen where he ate and drank to his heart’s con- 
tent. In a short time he rolled over and went to sleep. Tom 
Thumb then set up a great shout and his father and mother came 
running out of their room to see what the trouble was. 

Hearing his father’s voice, Tom shouted: “I am here in the 
wolf’s stomach. He swallowed me.” 

So the father got his gun and shot the animal in the head. 
Then they ripped open the wolf’s stomach and freed little Tom. 
They hugged and kissed him and vowed that no matter what 
riches they were offered, they would never sell their precious little 
hoy again. 



The Table, the Ass and the Stick 

T HERE was once a tailor who had three sons. One day in a 
fit of anger he drove them all away from home. 

The eldest became an apprentice to a carpenter, for whom 
he worked faithfully and cheerfully. When his time was up the 
carpenter gave him a present of a table. Now this table certain- 
ly had a very ordinary appearance, but it also had a very unusual 
quality. If its owner placed it before him and said: “Table 
set thyself,” the good table was at once covered with a fine cloth, 
plates, knives, forks, dishes of roast and baked meats and spark- 
ling wine. 


43 


44 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


The young man was delighted and started to travel around 
the world. He never had to stop at a tavern, but could eat 
wherever he wanted to. All he had to do was to take the table off 
his back and order it to be covered with food, and immediately a 
feast awaited him. 

At last he grew tired of wandering around and determined 
to go back home to his father, whose anger, he thought, would be 
over by this time. He felt that they could live comfortably to- 
gether with his excellent table. 

On his way home it happened that he stopped at an inn 
where he met some very friendly people who invited him to dine 
with them. He thanked them but said he preferred to have them 
as his guests. He then placed his table in the middle of the room, 
and said: “Table, set thyself.” In the twinkling of an eye it was 
set with delicious food, and the guests did not wait for a second 
invitation. What made them wonder most was that when a dish 
became empty, another full one instantly took its place. The 
landlord stood nearby looking on, and thought what a great 
thing a table like that would be for him. He made up his mind 
that he would steal it. So that night when everyone was asleep, 
he hunted up an old table that resembled the one the young car- 
penter had, went into the young man’s room and exchanged it 
for the magic table. 

Next morning the carpenter placed the table on his back 
and started off, not noticing that his table had been changed. 
At noon he reached his father’s house, and was received with 
great joy. 

His father didn’t think much of the looks of the table, but 
the son told him of its wonderful qualities and told him to call 
in all the neighbors and he would give them a feast. 

As soon as the company had arrived, the young man placed 


THE TABLE , THE ASS AND THE STICK 


45 


the table in the center of the room and said: “Table, set thyself.” 
But the table did not stir and remained empty. The guests all 
laughed at him and he felt very much ashamed. He tried to 
explain to them that the table had been changed, but they didn’t 
believe him, in fact they didn’t believe there ever had been such 
a table as he told them about. The poor son was obliged to 
go and work for a master carpenter, and the father took up his 
mending again. 

Meanwhile the second son had been living with a miller, 
learning his trade, and as soon as his time was up, his master 
had said to him: “Because you have served me so well, I am 
going to present you with this ass, which has a wonderful gift, 
although it can neither draw a wagon, nor carry a sack.” 

“What is it good for?” asked the young man. 

“It speaks gold,” replied the miller. “If you tie a pocket 
under his chin and cry ‘Bricklebrit,’ the good beast will pour 
out gold like hail.” 

“That is a very fine thing,” thought the youth. Thanking 
the master, off he went with his donkey. He traveled all around 
the country and whenever he wanted money all he had to do 
was to say “Bricklebrit” to his ass, and immediately he had all 
the gold he needed. Soon he, too, decided to go home to his 
father. “Surely he will no longer be angry at me when he sees 
what riches I bring with me.” 

It so happened that he stopped at the very inn where his 
brother’s table had been changed. 

As he approached the inn, the landlord came out and wished 
to take the donkey into the stable for him. But the young man 
said: “I will tie him myself, as I must know where he stands. 
This made the landlord suspicious to begin with. Later on the 
young man needed some money so he went out to the stable, laid 


46 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


a cloth on the floor and said “Bricklebrit.” The inn-keeper had 
followed him out and was watching through a knot hole. “By 
the powers,” said the landlord, “that is not a bad kind of purse 
to have.” 

In the middle of the night he slipped into the stable, led 
away the mint-master, and tied up a different ass in its place. 

Early the next morning the youth drove away with his 
donkey, thinking of course it was his own. When he reached 
home he told his father about the wonderful donkey and bade him 
call in all his friends so that he could make them rich. But no 
matter how many times he called out “Bricklebrit,” no gold ap- 
peared, and the guests were forced to go home as poor as they 
came. 

In the meantime the third brother had been learning the 
turner’s trade, but had gotten on very slowly. The brothers 
found out where he was and told him how the landlord had robbed 
them of their wishing-gifts on their return home. 

So the young man determined to go to the inn and see what 
could be done to get back his brothers’ treasures. Before he left 
the turner gave him a present of a sack with a stick inside, and 
said: “If any one does you an injury, all you have to do is to say, 
‘Stick out of the sack!’ and instantly the stick will spring out 
and dance upon the people’s backs in such a way that they will 
be so stiff they won’t be able to move a finger for a week after. 
Moreover, it will not stop till you say ‘Stick, get back into the 
sack.’ ” 

The youth thanked him and started on his j ourney. On the 
way if he met any who tried to annoy him, he would say: “Stick 
out of the sack!’ and instantly the stick would spring out and whip 
the offender, unmercifully. 

One evening he arrived at the inn where his brothers had 


THE TABLE , THE ASS AND THE STICK 


47 


been robbed, and, laying bis knapsack on the table, he began to 
talk of all the wonderful things he had seen in the world. “But,” 
said he, they shrink into nothing beside the treasure which I carry 
with me in this sack.” 

The landlord pricked up his ears, saying, “What on earth 
can it be?” but he thought to himself, “The sack is certainly full 
of precious stones, and I must manage to get hold of them; for 
all good things come in threes.” 

As soon as it was bedtime our youth stretched himself upon 
a bench, and laid his sack down for a pillow; and, when he ap- 
peared to be in a deep sleep, the landlord crept softly to him, and 
began to pull very gently and cautiously at the sack, to see if 
he could manage to draw it away, and put another in its place. 
The young turner, however, had been waiting for him to do this, 
and, just as the man gave a good pull, he exclaimed, “Stick, 
out of the sack with you!” Immediately out it jumped, and 
thumped about on the landlord’s back and ribs with a good will. 

The landlord began to cry for mercy; but the louder he 
cried, the more forcibly did the stick beat time on his back, until at 
last he fell exhausted to the ground. 

Then the turner said, “The pounding will not stop till you 
give up the magic table and the donkey you stole from my 
brothers.” 

“Oh,” cried the landlord, “I will do anything you say if you 
will only make your horrible hobgoblin get back into his sack.” 

On the following morning the turner accordingly went away 
with the table and the ass, and soon reached home. His father 
was glad to see him and asked him what treasure he had brought 
back. 

“A precious stick,” replied the son; “a stick in this sack. 
When I say: ‘Stick, out of the sack,’ it instantly jumps out and 


48 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


executes such a dance upon the back of any one who would injure 
me, that at last he is beaten to the ground, crying for mercy. Do 
you see, with this stick I have gotten back again the wonderful 
table and the golden ass of which the thievish landlord robbed 
my brothers? Now, let them both he summoned home, and in- 
vite all your acquaintances, and I will not only give them plenty 
to eat and drink, but pocketfuls of money.” 

The old tailor would scarcely believe him! but, nevertheless, 
he called in his friends. Then the young turner placed a table- 
cloth in the middle of the room, and led in the ass, saying to his 
brother, “Now, speak to him.” 

The miller called out “Bricklebrit!” and in a moment the gold 
pieces dropped down on the floor in a pelting shower; and so it 
continued, until they all had so much that they could carry no 
more. 

After this the table was brought in, and the carpenter said, 
“Table, set thyself!” and it was at once filled with the choicest 
dishes. Then they began such a meal as the tailor had never had 
before in his house; and the whole company remained till late at 
night, merry and jovial. 

The next day the tailor forsook needle and thread, and put 
them all away, with his measures and goose, in a cupboard, and 
forever after lived happily and contentedly with his three sons. 































1 




















' * . 






k 















































• 4 






















CINDERELLA AT THE BALL 




Cinderella or the Glass Slipper 

T HERE was once a rich widower who had a very beautiful 
daughter. As time went on, he married a handsome widow 
with two daughters. No sooner was the wedding over than the 
step-mother began to treat the man’s daughter unkindly. In the 
first place she was jealous of her because she was so much better 
looking than her own children. Then again, the girl had such a 
sweet disposition, was always so gentle and kind that it made her 
own daughters seem more disagreeable than ever. 


49 



50 


FIFTY FAMOUS F J HY TALES 


The daughters f *d of their step-sister, 

and soon per« ' _^p her in the kitchen work- 
ing a T1 the parlor with them. 

ieek she did not dare tell her father 
. Besides, he might not have believed 
ne was very much in love with his new 
her faults. 

s work was finished for the day, she used to 
y -corner amongst the cinders, so the step-mother 
.*d her Cinderella. 

nappened that the king was going to give a grand ball 
whic! id last for three days. All the good-looking young 
ladie lie land were invited, so that the king’s son could choose 
the m< - beautiful for his bride. 

When the step-sisters heard that they were invited they were 
overjoyed. Their mother bought them gorgeous gowns 
trimmed with gold lace, rare feathers for their head-dress, and 
dazzling jewels. Poor Cinderella had to wash and iron their 
best linens and wait on them while they were getting ready. She 
longed to go to the ball, too, as she was fond of fine clothes and 
loved to dance, but she dared not ask to go. 

The night of the ball the poor girl had to dress their hair. 
Instead of being jealous and doing her work half-way, she took 
extra pains and arranged their tresses so becomingly that the two 
sisters looked prettier than they ever had before. 

At last they started off to the ball, and Cinderella went back 
to her corner by the hearth and wept as if her heart would break. 

But soon she heard a sweet voice saying : “Are you weeping, 
because you can’t go to the hall?” 

Cinderella looked up and there stood a little old woman 
with a tall pointed hat on her head and a golden wand in her hand. 


CINDERELLA OR THE GLASS SLIPPER 


51 


“Oh, yes, indeed,” said the girl, “but tell me, who are you?” 

“I am your fairy god-mother, and because you have always 
been so gentle and good, I am going to grant your wish and let 
you go to the ball, too. Now do exactly as I tell you and ask 
no questions. First, run out to the garden and bring me in the 
biggest pumpkin you can find.” 

Cinderella rushed out of the house and soon returned with 
a pumpkin. The little old woman stood it on end and cut a round 
hole in one side. Then she scooped it out hollow, touched it with' 1 ' 
her magic wand, and it was immediately turned into a goldeT 
coach. Next she took six mice out of the mouse-trap and cham 
each one into a little gray pony. She was puzzled for a mo ent 
as to what she would do for a coachman, but soon she had "in- 
derella bring her a nice fat rat from down cellar. After a wave 
of the wand the rat was turned into a handsome driver in full 
livery. 

“Now run out to the garden and lift up the green watering- 
pot over by the fence. Under it you will find six lizards, which 
you must catch and bring to me.” These were no sooner brought, 
than lo ! with a touch of the wand they were turned into six foot- 
men, who immediately jumped up behind the coach. Cinderella 
was delighted and clapped her hands in glee. 

“All ready,” cried the god-mother, “jump in!” But Cin- 
derella did not move. She stood looking at her soiled, ragged 
dress. Perhaps after all she wouldn’t be able to go. The god- 
mother smiled as she caught the look of disappointment on the 
girl’s face, and not wishing to tease her any longer, she waved 
her wand, and immediately the shabby clothes were changed into 
a most beautiful dress of gold and silver gauze, trimmed with 
flowers made of precious stones. Her old shoes became the 
daintiest pair of glass slippers ever seen. 


52 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


“This time, you are surely ready,” said the little old woman 
as she helped the happy girl into the coach. “Have a good 
time, but remember this, you must not stay a minute after mid- 
night. If you do, your coach will become a pumpkin again, 
your horses mice, your footmen lizards, and your coachman a 
rat. As for your beautiful clothes, they will turn into rags 
again.” 

Cinderella thanked her fairy god-mother many times and 
promised she would leave before midnight. 

When her golden coach drew up at the palace, the news 
spread about that an unknown princess had come to the ball. So 
the king’s son himself rushed out to meet her. He was so taken 
with her beauty that he danced with her many times that evening. 
She was so graceful that everyone in the room turned to ad- 
mire her, as she flitted to and fro. 

During the evening, Cinderella talked with her step-sisters 
and they felt quite flattered to think that the beautiful unknown 
princess should seek them out. They, of course, never dreamed 
who she really was. 

Fifteen minutes before midnight, Cinderella slipped away 
unnoticed and returned home in her little golden coach. Her 
fairy god-mother was waiting for her. Cinderella told her what 
a wonderful time she had had, and how the prince had asked her 
to come back the next evening. The little old woman seemed 
quite pleased and promised Cinderella she should go again. 

On the following evening the two sisters again went to the 
ball, and so did Cinderella, dressed even more beautifully than 
before. The prince was so delighted to see her that he never left 
her side all evening and would dance with no one but her. 

He begged her to tell him where she lived and to let him 
accompany her home, but Cinderella would not do so, and shortly 



CINDERELLA SLIPPED AWAY UNNOTICED 


54 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


before midnight she darted away from him and vanished so 
quickly that he could not follow her. The god-mother was so 
pleased to see how Cinderella remembered to come home on time 
that she promised her that she should go to the last of the court 
balls which would take place the next evening. 

On that evening, Cinderella’s dress was so gorgeous, and her 
beauty so striking that a confused murmur of admiration went 
through the crowd as she entered the ball-room. 

The king’s son, who had refused to dance till she came, took 
her hand and led her to a seat. It was easy to be seen that he was 
very much in love with her. Cinderella, too, was very happy, and 
listened with delight to his pretty speeches. 

The prince was so charming, that she soon forgot all about 
the time, and when the clock struck twelve she jumped up like a 
startled fawn and fled from the ball-room. In her haste she lost 
one of her glass slippers. The prince followed her down the 
long corridor, but she was too swift for him. The last stroke 
died away as she reached the great staircase that led to the court- 
yard. In a twinkling the beautiful princess was just the shabby 
little cinder-wench again. The golden coach was nothing but a 
pumpkin, and there was no longer any coachman or footmen to 
be seen. Cinderella reached home quite out of breath; nothing 
remained of her elegant costume except one little glass slipper. 

When her two sisters returned home they told Cinderella 
about the unknown princess who had fled from the ball on the 
stroke of twelve, and how the prince had picked up one of the 
glass slippers and had looked at it fondly all the rest of the 
evening. “It was easy to be seen,” they said, “that he was madly 
in love with the unknown princess.” 

The next morning news from the palace was given out that 
the prince would marry the lady whose foot would exactly fit 


CINDERELLA OR THE GLASS SLIPPER 


55 

the glass slipper. When the step-sisters heard of this they were 
delighted, for they both had small feet. 

A messenger was sent from house to house, with the slipper, 
and the young ladies who had been present at the ball tried to 
put it on, but in vain. At last the two sisters had their turn, and 
though they tried with all their might to force their feet into the 
fairy-like slipper it was of no use. When Cinderella saw that 
neither of her sisters could wear it, she spoke up and said: “Why 
not let me try?” Her sisters laughed at the idea and told her to 
go back to the kitchen, but the messenger noticed that she was 
very beautiful in spite of her ragged clothes, so he told her to 
sit down and try it on. She did so and the slipper fitted her 
perfectly. The sisters and the step-mother were amazed. And 
when Cinderella pulled out the mate from her pocket, their as- 
tonishment increased tenfold. Then the fairy god-mother ap- 
peared and waved her wand over Cinderella, and immediately 
her dress turned into that of the unknown princess. 

The messenger then led Cinderella to the palace of the 
young prince who was overjoyed at finding the beautiful maiden. 
A few days afterwards the wedding took place, and Cinderella 
at last became a real princess, and lived happily with the hand- 
some prince, ever afterwards. 




Rapunzel 



O NCE upon a time there lived a man and his wife and they 
were very lonely because they had no children. From the 
upper windows of their house they could look out on a beautiful 
garden with fountains, flowers and all kinds of fine vegetables. 
But it was surrounded by a high wall and no one ever dared to 
go in it, for it belonged to a wicked witch who possessed great 
evil power. 

One day the woman was looking out of her rear window 
into the witch’s garden when she discovered a bed of beautiful 
red radishes. A great desire seized her to eat some of them. 
This wish tormented her daily, and as she knew that she could 


56 


UArUNZKL , 


57 


not have them she became ill, and looked very pale and misera- 
ble. Her looks frightened her husband, and he begged her to 
tell him the secret that seemed to be weighing on her mind. 
At first the wjfe hesitated to tell him the foolish cause of her sick- 
ness but finally said: “If I cannot have some of those radishes 
in the witch’s garden, I shall die.” 

The husband was very much afraid of the witch, but he loved 
his wife and decided to get the radishes, cost what it would. 

When night came, he climbed the garden wall, snatched 
a handful of radishes in great haste and brought them to his 
wife. She was delighted and made a delicious salad of them. 

But the next day the desire for radishes was stronger than 
ever, and the poor husband was given no peace till he promised 
that he would get her some more. 

As soon as it was dark he again climbed the wall, but just 
as he jumped over into the garden who should appear before 
him but the witch herself. She was very angry and cried out: 
“How dare you come into my garden and steal my radishes? 
You shall suffer for this.” 

“Surely you will wish me no evil when I tell you that I stole 
the radishes to save my wife’s life,” cried the man. He then told 
how his wife had stood at the window and wished for the radishes 
till she had fallen sick. 

“Very well,” said the witch, “I will pardon you on one con- 
dition. If your wife should ever have a child you must give it to 
me. I will care for it like a mother, and all shall be well with it. 
In the meantime you may gather as many radishes as you wish.” 

The man consented, glad to think the witch had spared his 

life. 

Later on the wife did have a child, and the day it was born 
the witch appeared and claimed the baby. She gave it the name 
of “Rapunzel” and took it away with her. 


58 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES ' 


Rapunzel grew to be the most beautiful girl in the country, 
and when she was fifteen years old the witch shut her up in a 
tower, which stood in the middle of a great forest. It had neither 
stairs nor doors, and only one little window away up at the top. 
When the witch wished to enter, she stood beneath, and called out : 

. “Rapunzel! Rapunzel! 

Let down your hair.” 

You see Rapunzel had long and beautiful hair, as fine as 
gold. When she heard the witch’s voice, she unbound her tresses, 
opened the window, and let her hair fall down twenty yards, so 
that the old witch could climb up by it, as if it were a ladder. 

After a couple of years had passed away it happened that 
the king’s son was riding through the forest one day, and as he 
passed the tower he heard someone singing a beautiful song. 
He listened a long while, then rode home, but he could not for- 
get the lovely voice he had heard. It had touched his heart so 
much that every day after that, he went to the forest in the hope 
of seeing its owner. 

One day, as he stood listening behind a tree, he was surprised 
to see the witch approach the tower. She looked all about her ? 
but as she saw no one she called out : 

“Rapunzel! Rapunzel! 

Let down your hair.” 

The prince was more than amazed when he saw a beautiful 
maiden come to the window and let down her tresses so that the 
witch could climb up. 

“Ah,” said the prince, “how I should like to climb up that 
beautiful ladder.” 

So next day, he returned to the forest and when he came to 
the forest, he called out: 


RAPUNZEL 


59 


“Rapunzel! Rapunzel! 

Let down your hair.” 

Then the tresses fell down, and up he climbed. Rapunzel 
was terrified at first to see the stranger, hut the prince was so 
handsome, and talked to her so gently that she soon lost her fear. 
He then told her how he had been coming to the fore it every day 
for weeks to hear her beautiful voice. He was so delighted to 
find her so lovely that he said he would not leave her till she had 
promised to marry him. Rapunzel was more than glad to have 
a chance to escape from the witch so she said: “I will willingly 
go away with you, hut how can we both get down?” 

After much planning the beautiful maiden said : “Each time 
you come to see me, you must bring me a skein of silk, out of 
which I shall weave a ladder. When it is finished then you may 
claim me for your bride and we will ride away together on your 
horse.” 

Then they agreed that they should never meet till the even- 
ing, as the witch came in the day time. The old woman noticed 
nothing about it, until one day Rapunzel innocently said, “Tell 
me, mother, how it happen! you find it more difficult to come 
to me than the king’s son, who is with me in a moment!” 

“Oh, you wicked child!” exclaimed the witch; “what do I 
hear ? I thought I had separated you from all the world, and yet 
you have deceived me.” And, seizing Rapunzel’s beautiful hair 
in a fury, she gave her a couple of blows with her left hand, and, 
taking a pair of scissors in her right, snip, snap, she cut off all her 
beautiful tresses, and they fell upon the floor. 

The witch then took the long hair and fastened it securely 
to the window sill, so that she and Rapunzel could descend in 
safety. 

The hard-hearted woman dragged the beautiful maiden into 


60 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


a great desert where she left her to die in great misery and grief, 
as she supposed. 

The witch then hurried hack to the tower and climbed up the 
ladder of hair and pulled it in after her. Toward evening the 
prince came and called : 

“Rapunzel! Rapunzel! 

Let down your hair.” 

and this time the witch let it down. The prince mounted, but 
when he reached the top there stood the wicked woman looking 
at him with furious eyes. 

“Aha!” she exclaimed, scornfully, “you thought you would 
fool me and come and steal the lovely maiden. But the pretty 
bird no longer sits up here in her nest. The cat has taken her 
away. Rapunzel is lost to you. You will never see her again. 
Besides the cat will scratch out your eyes.” 

The prince was so grieved at these words, that he sprang 
out of the window. The fall did not kill him, but the bed of 
thorns into which he tumbled, put out his eyes. 

For days he wandered blind, in the forest, with nothing to 
eat but roots and berries. 

One day the prince arrived at the desert where the beautiful 
maiden was still living. He heard a voice singing the same song 
that he had so often listened to beneath the tower. He fol- 
lowed in its direction, and as he approached, Rapunzel recognized 
him and fell on his neck and wept. Two of her tears moistened 
his eyes, and they became clear again, so that he could see as 
well as formerly. 

Then he led her away to his father’s kingdom, where she was 
received with great joy, and where they lived happily ever after- 
ward. The witch never bothered them again, for no one ever 
heard of her any more. 



The Old Man and His Grandson 

O N CE upon a time there was a very old, old man, whose eyes 
were dim, his ears useless for hearing, and his knees 
trembling. When he sat at table he could scarcely hold his spoon, 
and often he spilled his food over the tablecloth, and sometimes 
down his clothes. His son and daughter-in-law were much vexed 
about this, and at last they made the old man sit behind the oven 
in a corner, and gave him his meals in an earthen dish, and not 
enough either. 

The poor man had devoted his life to his son. He had de- 
nied himself many a luxury when he was younger, in order to 
educate his boy. And now to be treated in this way just because he 


61 


62 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


was old and helpless, was more than he could bear. He became 
very sad, and tears often moistened his eyes. Once his hands 
trembled so much that he could not hold the dish, and it fell on 
the ground and broke all to pieces, so that the young wife scolded 
him, but he made no reply, and only sighed. After that they 
bought him a wooden dish for a few cents, and out of that he now 
had to eat. One day, as he was sitting in his usual place, he saw 
his little grandson four years of age, upon the ground, fitting to- 
gether some pieces of wood. 

“What are you making ?” asked the old man. 

“I am making a wooden trough,” replied the child, “for 
father and mother to feed out of when I grow big.” 

At these words the man looked at his wife a little while and 
presently they began to cry, and henceforth they let the old 
grandfather sit at table with them, and always take his meals 
there. From that time on they treated him kindly and never even 
said anything if he spilled a little upon the cloth. 


Little Red Riding Hood 



O NCE upon a time there lived a sweet little girl, who was 
loved by everyone who knew her. Her grandmother, who 
lived up in the country, was so fond of her that she was always 
giving her presents. On her last birthday she sent her a lovely 
warm red cape with a hood of red velvet. The child was so 
pleased with it that she would wear nothing else, and soon every- 
one began to call her Little Red Riding-Hood. 

One day her mother said: “You must go to see your grand- 
mother today. I have packed a little basket with custards and 
jelly which you can take to her, for she has not been very well 
lately.” 

So Little Red Riding-Hood set out at once to see her grand- 


63 


64 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 



mother. When she was passing through the woods, that lay 
between the village and the place where the grandmother lived, 
the little girl met a great big wolf. 

The wolf was very polite and said: “Good-day, where are 
you going so early in the morning?” 

Little Red Riding-Hood did not know what a wicked animal 
he was, so she replied that she was going to see her grandmother 
who was sick. 

“What are you carrying in your basket?” inquired the curious 
animal. 

“Jelly and custards,” answered the little girl. “You see 
grandmother lives all alone and has no one to make her good 
things.” 



SHE TAPPED AT THE DOOR 





LITTLE BED RIDING HOOD 


“Does she live far from here?” asked the wolf. 

‘Oh, yes,” answered the child. “It’s the first house after 
you pass that hill over yonder. You can’t miss it, for the cottage 
stands under three great oak trees.” 

“I should think you would take your grandmother some 
flowers, if she is sick. There are such pretty ones all around 
here,” said the crafty old wolf. 

“Why, I hadn’t thought about that,” said the little girl, and 
she began to gather the wild flowers, here and there. 

In the meantime the wolf slipped away, and ran as fast as 
he could to the old woman’s house. He knocked at the door — 
tap, tap. 

“Who is there?” asked a feeble voice. 

“Your grandchild, Little Red Riding-Hood,” replied the 
wolf, imitating the child’s voice. “I have brought you some 
custards and jelly that mother just made.” 

“Lift up the latch, and come in,” cried the grandmother; 
“I am too weak to get up.” 

So the wolf lifted the latch, and the door flew open. Then 
the wicked animal bounded over to the bed and gobbled up the 
old lady before she could utter a scream for help. He then 
shut the door, put on one of the grandmother’s night-caps and 
jumped into bed to wait for Little Red Riding-Hood. 

It was not long before she tapped at the door and the wolf 
called out: “Who is there?” 

“How funny grandmother’s voice sounds,” thought the little 
girl; “but I suppose she is hoarse from a cold.” Overcoming 
her fear, she called out who it was, and the wolf said: “Lift the 
latch, and come in, my dear.” 

Little Red Riding-Hood entered and went over to the bed, 


66 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


where the wolf lay, almost entirely covered with the bed-clothes. 
“Why, grandmother, what great ears you have,” exclaimed the 
child. 

“The better to hear with,” answered the wolf. 

“And what big eyes you have.” 

“The better to see you with, my dear.” 

“And, grandmother, what great teeth you have.” 

“The better to eat you with,” cried the wicked wolf, as he 
threw back the bed-covers and made ready to spring at little 
Red Riding Hood. 

But she screamed so loudly that a hunter who happened to 
be passing the house heard her and came rushing in, gun in hand. 
He shot the wolf straight through the heart and saved the dear 
little girl from the sad fate that had befallen the poor old grand- 
mother. 


The Spirit in the Bottle 



HERE was a poor woodcutter who worked from morning 


-L till night in order to make enough money to keep his boy 
in school. But work as he would, he could not earn enough, and 
the boy was finally forced to give up his schooling and come home. 

One day when the father was about to go to the forest to earn 
something by chopping and clearing, his son said : 

“I will accompany you and help you,” 

So the father borrowed an axe from his neighbor, as he had 
only one, and had no money to buy another. 

They worked till noon, then the father proposed to rest for a 


68 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


while, and eat their dinner. The son, however, taking his share 
of the bread said: “I am not tired, father. While you rest I 
will go a little farther into the forest and look for birds’ nests.” 

“Oh, you silly fellow!” said the father, “what do you want to 
run about for? You will make yourself so tired, you will not be 
able to raise your arm; keep quiet a bit, and sit down here with 
me.” 

But the young man would not do so, and went off among the 
trees, eating his bread, and peeping about among the bushes for 
any nest he could find. Suddenly he heard a half -smothered 
cry of “Let me out! let me out!” He looked around, but could see 
nothing; still the voice appeared to come, as it were, from the 
ground. So he called, “Where are you?” and the voice replied, 
“Here I stick, among the roots of the oak-tree ; let me out ! let me 
out!” 

The scholar, therefore, began to search at the foot of the tree, 
where the roots spread, and at last, in a little hollow, he found a 
glass bottle. He picked it up, and, holding it to the light, he 
perceived a thing, in shape like a frog, which kept jumping up 
and down. 

“Let me out! let me out!” cried the thing again; and the 
scholar thinking no evil, drew out the stopper of the bottle. Im- 
mediately a spirit sprang out, and began to grow and grow so 
fast, that in a very few moments he stood before the scholar like 
a frightful giant, half the size of a tree. “Do you know,” he 
cried, with a voice like thunder, “do you know what your reward 
is for letting me out of the glass bottle ?” 

“No,” replied the scholar, without fear; “how should I?” 

“Then I will tell you,” cried the spirit; “you must be put to 
death.” 


THE SPIRIT IN THE BOTTLE 


69 


“You should have told me that before,” returned the scholar, 
“and then you should have stuck where you were.” 

“Yes,” continued the spirit, “I am the mighty Mercury, and 
whoever lets me out, his neck must I break.” 

“Softly, softly!” said the scholar, “that is quicker said than 
done; I must first know really that you were in the bottle, and 
that you are truly a spirit; if I see you return into the bottle, I 
will believe, and then you may do with me what you please.” 

Full of pride, the spirit answered, “That is an easy matter;” 
and, drawing himself together, he became as thin as he had been 
at first, and soon crept through the same opening back again 
into the bottle. Scarcely was he completely in when the scholar 
put the stopper back into the neck, and threw the bottle down 
among the oak-tree roots at the old place. So the spirit was de- 
ceived. 

After this the scholar would have gone back to his father, but 
the spirit cried lamentably, “Oh, let me out! do let me out!” 

“No,” replied the scholar, “not a second time; he who tried 
to take away my life once I shall not let out in a hurry, when I 
have him safe again.” 

“If you will free me,” pleaded the spirit, “I will give you as 
much as will serve you for your lifetime.” 

“No, no!” rejoined the scholar, “you will deceive me as you 
did at first.” 

“You are fighting against your own fortune,” replied the 
spirit; “I will do you no harm, but reward you richly.” 

“Well, I will hazard it,” thought the scholar to himself; 
“perhaps he will keep his word, and do me no injury;” and, so 
thinking, he took the stopper out of the bottle again, and the 
spirit sprang out as before, stretched himself up, arid became as 
big as a giant, 


70 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


“Now you shall have your reward,” said the spirit, reaching 
the scholar a little piece of rag in shape like a plaster. “If you 
apply one end of this to a wound it shall heal directly, and if you 
touch with the other steel or iron, either will be changed into 
silver.” 

Then the spirit thanked him for releasing him, and the 
scholar thanked the spirit for his present, and went back to his 
father. 

“Where have you been roaming?” asked the father. “Why, 
you have quite forgotten your work.” 

“Be contented, father; I will make up the time,” said the son. 

“Yes, you will make it up, truly,” broke in the father, angri- 
ly, “without an axe!” 

‘'Now see, father, I will cut that tree at one blow!” and, so 
saying, the son took his rag, rubbed the axe with it, and gave a 
powerful blow, but because the axe- was changed into silver the 
edge turned up. “Ah, father, do you see what an axe you have 
given me? it has no edge at all!” said the son. 

The father was frightened, and said, “Ah! what have you 
done? Now I must pay for the axe, and I know not how; for it 
is the one which I borrowed for your work.” 

“Don’t be angry; I will soon pay for the axe,” said the son; 
but the father exclaimed, “Why, you simpleton, how will you do 
that? you have nothing but what I gave you ; this is some student’s 
trick which is stuck in your head, but of woodcutting you know 
nothing at all!” 

After a pause, the scholar said, “Father, I can work no 
more; let us make holiday now.” 

“Eh? what?” was the answer; “do you think I can keep my 
hands in my pockets as you do? I must work on, but you may go 
home.” The son replied that he did not know the way, as it was the 


THE SPIRIT IN THE BOTTLE 


71 


first time he had been in the forest, and at last he persuaded his 
father to accompany him home. When they arrived at their 
house, the father told his son to go and sell the axe which was 
damaged, and the rest he must earn in order to pay his neighbor 
for it. So the son took the axe, and carried it to a goldsmith, in 
the city, who, after proving it, laid it in his scales, and said, 
“It is worth four hundred dollars, and so much I have not by me 
in the house.” 

“Give me what you have,” said the scholar, “and I will trust 
you the remainder.” The goldsmith gave him three hundred 
dollars and left the other as a debt, and thereupon the scholar 
went home, and said to his father, “Go ask the neighbor what 
he will take for his axe ; for I have got some money.” 

“I know already,” answered the father; “one dollar and fifty 
cents is the price.” 

“Then give him three dollars; that is double, and enough; 
see, here, I have money in abundance!” and he gave his father 
one hundred dollars, saying, “You shall never want now; live at 
your ease.” 

“My goodness!” said the man, “where have you procured this 
money?” 

The son told his father all that had happened, and how he 
had made such a capital catch by trusting to his luck. With the 
rest of the money, however, he returned to the university, and 
learned all that he could ; and afterwards, because he could heal 
all wounds with his plaster, he became the most celebrated surgeon 
in the whole world. 



Riquet with the Tuft 

T HERE was once a little prince named Riquet, but every one 
called him Riquet with the Tuft, because when he was born 
he had a little tuft of long hair on his head. He was very ugly 
and ill-formed, but a good fairy felt very sorry for him and said 
that he should have great good sense and be so charming that 
everyone would like him. Besides, when he grew up he would 
have the power to give equally good sense to the one he wished 
to marry. 

About seven or eight years after Riquet with the Tuft was 
born, the queen of a neighboring kingdom had twin daughters. 
One was very beautiful but unusually stupid. The other was as 

72 


RIQUET WITH THE TUFT 


73 


ugly as the first was beautiful. N ow it happened that the mother 
of the twins sent for the same fairy who had been present when 
Riquet with the Tuft was born, and asked her what she could 
do in the way of giving sense to the beautiful daughter, of whom 
she was very proud. The fairy told the mother that she could 
do nothing for the girl, except to bestow on her the gift of mak- 
ing beautiful the person whom she decided to marry. “As for the 
other daughter/’ said the fairy, “do not worry about her. She 
will be so clever and witty that no one will notice how ugly she is.” 

As the two princesses grew up nothing was talked of but 
the beauty of the elder and the good sense of the younger. The 
beautiful one, however, grew more stupid each day. She either 
made no answer when she was spoken to or else she said some- 
thing foolish. At first everyone flocked about her because she 
was so beautiful, but soon they deserted her for her sister who 
was so witty and entertaining. 

One day when the beautiful princess was walking alone in 
the woods, she met a little man dressed very richly, but with a 
most disagreeable face. It was Riquet with the Tuft who had 
seen the lovely girl’s picture and had immediately fallen in love 
with her. He was now on his way to seek her in marriage. He 
recognized her at once, and asked her why she seemed so sad. 

“Beauty,” said Riquet, “is the greatest of all gifts. I do not 
see how one so beautiful as yourself can have anything to worry 
about.” 

“Very fine,” said the maiden, “but I would rather be as ugly 
as you and have good sense than be as lovely as I am and be 
stupid.” 

“If that is all that is troubling you,” said Riquet, “I can 
easily put an end to your sorrow. I have the power to give wit 
and good sense to the one I love. You are the one, and if you will 


74 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


only promise to marry me at the end oi a year you shall be the 
brightest and smartest in the land. 

The princess had so little sense she did not hesitate but 
consented, thinking that something might happen before the year 
was up to prevent her marriage to such a dreadfully ugly per- 
son. No sooner had she promised to marry Riquet than she felt 
herself to be quite another person. She began to make the 
wittiest kinds of remarks. 

She returned alone to the palace, and soon everyone noticed 
the great change that had taken place in her. She became so 
wise and said such clever things that her fame spread through- 
out the country, and the princes in the neighborhood all wished 
to marry her. Now there was one prince who was rich, witty and 
handsome, and the princess looked upon him with great favor. 
She was undecided, however, whether to accept him or not, so 
one day she walked out in the woods to think the matter over. 
She was greatly surprised to again meet Riquet who said : 

“Here I am, fair princess. You see I have kept my word 
and I hope you intend to keep yours and marry me tomorrow.” 

All at once the princess remembered that tomorrow was the 
very end of the year. The reason why she had forgotten this 
before was that when she made the promise she was a fool, and 
as soon as she became wise she forgot all her follies. 

“Oh, indeed I cannot,” replied the princess. “Surely you 
will not hold me to a promise made when I was so stupid.” 

“Do not refuse me, beautiful one,” said the prince. “Do you 
not see that you are taking away all the happiness of my life? 
Tell me frankly, is there anything in me that you complain of 
besides my ugliness?” 

“No, truly,” replied the princess, “I like everything about 
you, except — except your looks.” 


EIQUET WITH THE TUFT 


75 


“Then I need not lose my happiness, for the same fairy who 
gave me the gift of making you clever also gave you a gift.” 

“And what is that gift, wise prince?” asked the princess. 

“It is that you can make handsome the man you decide to 
marry. Don’t you think you could learn to love me enough to 
do that?” 

“Oh, I did not know that before,” cried the maiden. “With 
all. my heart,” and she wished eagerly that he might become the 
best-looking man in the world. No sooner had she wished that, 
than Riquet stood before her eyes the finest, most charming man 
that she had ever seen. 

And so they were married and when it came their turn to 
reign over the kingdom, great was the joy of the people to have 
two such wise and handsome rulers. 



Clever Alice 

T HERE was once a man who had a daughter named “Clever 
Alice.” When she grew up her father said: “It is time now 
for our daughter to think about getting married.” 

“Yes,” said the mother, ”if there is anyone good enough 
for her.” 

Now it happened that one day there came a certain youth 
from another town. He had heard about Clever Alice and had 
decided to ask for her hand in marriage. 

“There is one condition I require,” said the young man, “and 
that is, she must be very prudent.” 

76 


CLEVER ALICE 


77 


“Do not worry about that,” said the father. “She has a 
head full of brains. She can even hear the flies cough and hear 
the wind blow up the street.” 

Soon afterwards they sat down to dinner, and the mother 
said: “Alice, go down into the cellar and draw some beer.” 

So Clever Alice took the pitcher and went down cellar. 
While she was waiting for the pitcher to fill she looked around, 
and on the ceiling right above her head, she saw a hatchet stick- 
ing out, left there perhaps by the bricklayers. 

At the sight of this, Clever Alice began to cry, saying: 
“Oh! if I marry Hans, and we have a child, and he grows up, and 
we send him into the cellar to draw beer, the hatchet may fall 
upon his head and kill him.” 

Meanwhile the folks up-stairs were getting impatient wait- 
ing for the beer, so the mother went down to see what was keep- 
ing Alice. 

When the mother reached the cellar, there sat Alice weeping 
with all her might. The mother asked her what the trouble was 
and Alice replied: “Have I not cause? If I marry Hans, and 
we have a child, and he grows up and comes down here for beer 
the hatchet may fall on his head and kill him.” 

“Oh,” said the mother, “what a clever Alice we have.” And 
she too sat down and wept. 

All this time the bridegroom sat waiting in the dining-room, 
and when nobody returned he thought perhaps they must be wait- 
ing downstairs for him. So down he went and when he entered, 
there sat the three, weeping and groaning, each one more loudly 
than the other. 

When he heard the reason he said: “More prudence than 
this is not necessary for my housekeeping; because you are so 
clever I will have you for my wife.” And taking her by the 
hand he led her to the church where they were married. 


78 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


Several weeks later Hans said: “Wife, I will go out to work 
and earn some money. While I am gone you go into the field 
and gather some corn with which to make bread.” 

So, as soon as Hans was gone, she cooked herself a nice 
mess of pottage and took it with her to the field. But instead of 
cutting the corn first, she ate the soup and then feeling tired 
she said to herself: “Now, shall I reap or sleep first? Well, I 
think I will have a nap first,” and so she lay down among the 
corn and soon fell fast asleep. 

When evening came, Hans returned and not finding his 
wife at home thought she was very industrious to stay out in the 
field all day. “I will go out and tell her she must not overdo,” 
said Hans, and off he went to the field. But not a stalk of corn 
had been cut, and there lay Clever Alice still sound asleep. Hans 
ran home as fast as he could and soon returned with a net with 
little bells hanging on it. This he threw over Alice’s head with- 
out waking her and then went back home and locked the door. 

At last when it was nearly dark Alice awoke and when she 
stood up the net slipped down over her and the little bells tinkled 
noisily. She was so frightened that she began to doubt if she 
were really Clever Alice. 

When she came to her door it was locked, so she tapped at 
the window and said: “Hans, is Alice within?” “Yes,” he re- 
plied, “she is.” 

At this answer she became really terrified and exclaimed: 
“Ah, heaven, then I am not Alice.” She ran up to another house 
intending to ask the same question but when the folks inside 
heard the bells they were afraid of her and would not open the 
door. Try as she would nobody would receive her for she looked 
very strange in the net all covered with bells that rang with every 
motion she made. So she ran away from the village and no one 
has ever seen her since. 



The Poor Miller’s Son and the Cat 

O NCE upon a time there lived in a mill an old miller who 
had neither wife nor children, but three apprentices instead; 
and after they had been with him several years, he said to them 
one day, “I am old, and shall retire from business soon; do you all 
go out, and whichever of you brings me home the best horse, to 
him will I give the mill, and, moreover, he shall attend me in my 
last illness.” 

The third of the apprentices was a small lad despised by the 
others, and so much so, that they did not intend that he should 
ever have the mill, even after them. But all three went out to- 
gether, and as soon as they got away from the village the two eld- 
er ones said to the stupid Hans, “You may as well remain 
here; in all your lifetime you will never find a horse.” Never- 
theless Hans went with them, and when night came on they ar- 
rived at a hollow where they lay down to sleep. The two clever 

79 


80 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


apprentices waited till Hans was asleep, and then they got up 
and walked off, leaving Hans snoring. By-and-by the sun arose 
and awoke Hans. He soon got up and scrambled out of the hol- 
low into the forest, thinking to himself, “Here I am all alone, 
what shall I do to get a horse ?” Suddenly a little tortoise shell 
cat came up, and asked in a most friendly manner, “Where are 
you going, Hans?” “Ah! you can help me,” said Hans. “Yes, 
I know very well what you wish,” replied the cat; “you want a 
fine horse; come with me, and for seven years be my faithful 
servant, and then I will give you a handsomer steed than you 
ever saw.” 

So the cat took him into its enchanted castle, where there 
were many other cats who waited upon them, jumping up 
and down the steps, and bustling about in first-rate style. In 
the evening, when they sat down to table three cats had to play 
music ; one played the violoncello, a second the violin, and a third 
blew a trumpet so loudly that its cheeks seemed as if they would 
burst. When they had finished dinner the table was drawn away, 
and the cat said, “Now, Hans, come and dance with me.” “No, 
no,” replied he, “I cannot dance with a cat! I never learned 
how!” 

“Then take him to bed,” cried the cat to its attendants; and 
they lighted him at once to his sleeping apartment, where one 
drew off his shoes, another his stockings, while a third blew 
out the light. The following morning the servant-cats made 
their appearance again, and helped him out of bed; one drew 
on his stockings, another buckled on his garters, a third fetched 
his shoes, a fourth washed his face, and a fifth wiped it dry. 
But all day long Hans had to cut wood for the cat. 

Hans remained here at the castle making himself useful. 
Every day he had good eating and drinking, but he saw no- 
body except the tortoise shell cat and her attendants. One day 


THE POOR MILLERS SON AND THE CAT 


81 


the cat said to him, “Go and mow my meadow and dry the grass 
well;” and she gave him a scythe made of silver and a whetstone 
of gold, which she bade him bring back safely. Hans went off 
and did what he was told; and, when the work was finished, he 
took home the scythe, whetstone, and hay, and asked the cat 
if she would not give him a reward? “No,” said the cat, “you 
must first do several things for me. Here are beams of silver, 
binding clamps, joists, and all that is necessary, all of silver, and 
of these you must first build me a small house/' Hans built it, 
and when it was done he reminded the cat he had still no horse, 
although his seven years of service were now over. The cat 
asked him whether he wished to see some horses? “Yes,” said 
Hans. 

So they went out of the house, and as they opened the door 
there stood twelve horses, very proud creatures, pawing the 
ground impatiently. Hans was glad enough to see them, but as 
soon as he looked at them for a minute the cat gave him his 
dinner, and said, “Go home; I shall not give you your horse 
now, hut in three days I will come to you and bring it with me.” 
So Hans walked off, and the cats showed him the way to the 
mill ; but, as they had taken away his new clothes, he was 
forced to go in his old ragged ones, which the cat had kept for 
him, and which during the seven years had become much too 
short for him. When he arrived at home, he found the two other 
apprentices had preceded him, and each had brought a horse; 
but the one was blind and the other lame. “Where is your 
horse, Hans?” inquired they. “It will follow in three days,” 
he replied. At this they laughed, and cried, “Yes, Hans, and 
when it comes it will be something wonderful, no doubt.” Hans 
then went into the parlor, but the old miller said he should not 
sit at table because he was so ragged and dirty; they would be 
ashamed of him if any one came in. So they gave him some- 


82 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


thing to eat out-of-doors, and when bedtime came the two appren- 
tices refused Hans a share of the bed, and he had to creep 
into the goose-house and stretch himself upon some hard straw. 
The next morning was the third day mentioned by the cat, and 
as soon as Hans was up there came a carriage drawn by six 
horses, which shone from their sleek condition, and a servant be- 
sides, who led a seventh horse, which was for the poor miller’s 
boy. Out of the carriage stepped a beautiful princess, who 
went into the mill, and she was the tortoise shell cat whom poor 
Hans had served for seven years. She asked the miller where 
the mill-boy, her little slave, was, and he answered, “We could 
not take him into the mill, he was so ragged and dirty; he lies 
now in the goose-house.” The princess bade him fetch Hans, but 
before he could come the poor fellow had to draw together his 
smock-frock in order to cover himself. Then the servant drew 
forth some elegant clothes, and after Hans had put them 
on, no king could have looked more handsome. There- 
upon the princess desired to see the horses which the other ap- 
prentices had brought home, and one was blind and the other 
lame. When she had seen them she ordered her servant to bring 
the horse he had in his keeping, and as soon as the miller saw it he 
declared that such an animal had never before been in his farm- 
yard. 

“It belongs to the youngest apprentice,” said the princess. 
“And the mill too,” rejoined the miller; but the princess said he 
might keep that and the horse as well for himself. With these 
words she placed her faithful Hans in the carriage with her and 
drove away. They went first to the little house which Hans had 
built with the silver tools, and which had become a noble castle, 
wherein everything was of gold and silver. There the princess 
married him, and he was so very rich that he had enough for all 
his life. 



The Seven Ravens 

A MAN and his wife had seven handsome sons, but they were 
unhappy parents because they had no daughter. At last, 
however, a girl was born but she was so frail and weak, it was 
feared she would not live. So the father hurried the seven sons 
off to the spring to get water with which to baptize the new- 
born babe. 

Each of the boys ran in great haste to he the first to draw 
the water for his sister’s baptism, but in the struggle to be 
first they let the pitcher fall into the well. 

Then they stood still and knew not what to do, not one of 
them dared to venture home without the water. As the time 
went on and they did not return, the father became very im- 
patient and said, “I suppose in the midst of their play they have 
forgotten what I sent them for, the careless children.” 

He was in such an agony lest the child should die unbap- 
tised, that he exclaimed in his anger, “I wish that the youngsters 
were all turned into ravens.” 


83 


84 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


The words were scarcely uttered when there was neara a 
rushing of wings in the air over his head, and presently seven 
coal black ravens flew over the house. 

The father could not recall the dreadful words, and both 
parents grieved terribly over the loss of their seven sons; their 
only consolation now was the little daughter, who every day 
grew stronger and more beautiful. 

As the maiden grew up she learned of the strange mis- 
fortune that had happened to her brothers. She no longer had 
any peace, and determined to try to break the enchantment 
in which her poor brothers were held. 

So she left home, and all she took with her was a ring, in 
memory of her parents, a loaf of bread, a jug of water, and a little 
stool to sit upon in case she felt tired. 

She traveled on and on, till she came to the end of the 
world, and there was the sun ; but it was so hot that she ran away 
in such a hurry that she ran into the moon. Here it was quite 
cold and dismal, and she heard a voice say, “I smell man’s flesh,” 
which made her escape from the moon as quickly as she could, 
and at last reached the stars. 

They were very kind and friendly to her. Each of the stars 
was seated on a wonderful chair, and the Morning Star stood 
up and said, “If you have not a key you will not be able to unlock 
the iceberg in which your brothers are shut up.” 

So the Morning Star gave the maiden the key. She reached 
the place safely and unlocked the door. Presently a little dwarf 
came forward to meet her and said, “My child, what are you 
seeking?” 

“I seek my brothers, the seven ravens,” she said. 

“The seven ravens are not at home,” replied the dwarf, “but 
if you care to wait here till they return, pray step in.” 


THE SEVEN RAVENS 


85 


Then the little dwarf took the maiden to the room where 
supper was prepared for the seven ravens, on seven little plates, 
by which stood seven little cups of water. 

So the sister ate a few crumbs from each plate, and drank a 
little draught from each cup, and into the last cup she let fall 
the ring that she brought from home. 

Then she hid herself behind the door, to see and hear what 
the ravens would do. They came in and were about to eat their 
supper, but as they caught sight of their little cups and plates, 
they said, one to another, “Who has been eating from my little 
plate ?” “Who has been drinking from my little cup?” “It has 
been touched by the mouth of a human being.” 

When the seventh came to the bottom of his cup, the little 
ring rolled out. He looked at it, and recognized it as a ring of 
his parents, and said, “God grant that our sister be here; then we 
are saved.” 

As the maiden, who had stood behind the door watching, 
heard these words, she came forward, and immediately all the 
ravens received again their human forms, and embraced and 
kissed their sister, and then they all went joyfully home to- 
gether. 



The Frog Prince 

I N olden times there lived a king who had many beautiful 
daughters ; but the youngest was loveliest of them all. 

One day, when the weather was very hot, she went out into 
the garden and seated herself on the side of the cool fountain, and 
when at last the silence became wearisome, she began to toss a 
golden ball in the air, and catch it again. At last, however, 
she failed to catch the golden ball and it fell into the water. 

Then she cried aloud, and began to weep bitterly for the 
loss of her golden ball. Presently she heard a voice exclaiming — 
“Why do you weep, O king’s daughter? Your tears could 
melt even the stones to pity you!” 


86 


THE FROG PRINCE 


87 


She looked at the spot from whence the voice came, and saw 
a frog stretching his thick ugly head out of the water. 

“Oh, there you are, old water-paddler,” she said, “was it 
you who spoke? Well, then, I am crying for the loss of my 
golden ball that has fallen into the fountain.” 

“Then weep no more,” answered the frog; “I can get it for 
you. But what will you give me if I go down after your play- 
thing?” 

“Oh! anything you like, dear frog,” she replied. “What 
will you have — my dresses, my pearls and jewels, or the golden 
crown I wear sometimes?” 

“Your clothes, your pearls and your jewels, or even your 
golden crown, are nothing to me,” answered the frog. “I want 
you to love me, and let me be your companion and playfellow. 
I should like to sit at your table, eat from your golden plate, 
drink out of your cup, and sleep in your nice little bed. If you 
will promise me all this, then I will dive down into the water and 
bring up your pretty golden ball.” 

“Oh, I will promise you all,” said she, “if you will only get 
me my ball.” But she thought to herself, “What is the silly 
frog chattering about? Let him remain in the water with his 
equals; he cannot mix in society.” But the frog, as soon as he 
had received her promise, drew his head underneath the water 
and dived down. Presently he swam up again with the hall in his 
mouth, and threw it on the grass. The king’s daughter was 
full of joy when she again saw her beautiful plaything; and, 
taking it up, she ran off immediately. 

“Wait, wait,” cried the frog, “take me with you, I cannot 
run as fast as you can.” But the young princess would not 
listen to the frog’s croaking and he was obliged to return to the 
fountain, and remain there. 


88 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


The next day, however, while the princess was sitting at 
table with the king and his courtiers, she heard a strange noise 
on the marble steps outside, splish, splash, splish, splash, and 
presently came a knock at the door, and a voice cried, “Lovely 
princess, open the door for me.” So she ran to the door and 
opened it, and there was the frog whom she had quite forgotten. 
She was dreadfully frightened and shutting the door as fast as she 
could she went back to her place trembling. Her father asked 
her what had frightened her and she then told him about the 
frog and the golden ball, also her promise made in fun. 

The king said to the young princess: “As you have made a 
promise you must keep it. So go and let him in.” She did so and 
the frog hopped in after her, right up to her chair. As soon as 
she was seated the frog said: “Take me up;” but she hesitated so 
long that at last the king ordered her to obey. The frog then 
jumped from the other chair to the table and said: “Now push 
your golden plate near me so that we can eat together.” And 
she did so, but as everyone saw, very unwillingly. The frog 
seemed to relish his dinner very much, but every bit that the 
king’s daughter ate nearly choked her. 

“Now I am tired; carry me up-stairs and put me on your 
little bed.” At this speech of the frog’s, the princess began to cry 
for she was afraid to touch the ugly little thing. 

But her tears only made the king very angry, and he said: 
“He who helped you in your time of trouble must not now be 
despised.” So she took the frog up to her room and put him 
down in a corner. But as she lay in her bed he crept up to it and 
said: “I am very tired; put me on your pillow, or I shall tell your 
father.” This angered the princess so that she caught the f^og 
up and threw him with all her might against the opposite wall, 
saying: “Now, will you be quiet, you ugly frog!” 


THE FROG PRINCE 


89 


But as he fell he was changed from a frog into a handsome 
prince with beautiful eyes. He explained to her that he had 
been enchanted by a wicked fairy who had turned him into the 
form of a frog, and that no one but herself could have had the 
power to take him out of the fountain. “Now,” said he, gazing 
fondly at her with his soft brown eyes, “I have nothing to wish 
for hut that you should go with me into my father’s kingdom. 
There we shall be married at once and you will never regret it.” 

The princess willingly consented and soon a gorgeous coach 
drove up with eight white horses, decked out in ostrich feathers 
and gold trappings, and behind the coach stood Faithful Henry, 
the prince’s servant. They all set out for the prince’s kingdom 
and upon their arrival, were received with great joy. 



Rumpelstiltskin 

T HERE was once a poor miller who had a beautiful 
daughter ; and one day, having to go to speak with the king, 
he said, in order to make himself appear important, that he had 
a daughter who could spin straw into gold. The king was very 
fond of gold, and thought to himself, “That is an art which would 
please me very well;” and so he said to the miller, “If your 
daughter is so very clever, bring her to the castle in the morning, 
and I will put her to the proof.” 

As soon as she arrived the king led her into a chamber which 
was full of straw; and, giving her a wheel and a reel, he said, 
“Now set yourself to work, and if you have not spun this straw 
into gold by an early hour tomorrow, you must die.” 

There she sat for a long time, thinking how to save her life ; 
for she had never heard of straw being spun into gold. Her 
perplexity increased more and more, till at last she began to 
weep. All at once the door opened and in stepped a little man, 


E U 31 PELS TILT SKIN 


91 


who said, “Good evening, fair maiden ; why do you weep ?” “Ah,’' 
she replied, “I must spin this straw into gold, and I am sure I do 
not know how.” 

The little man asked, “What will you give me if I spin 
it for you?” 

“My necklace,” said the maiden. 

The dwarf took it, placed himself in front of the wheel, and 
whirr, whirr, whirr, three times round and the bobbin was full. 
Then he set up another, and whirr, whirr, whirr, thrice round 
again and a second bobbin was full; and so he went all night 
long, until all the straw was spun, and the bobbins were full of 
gold. At sunrise the king came, very much astonished to see the 
gold. He caused the maiden to be led into another room, still 
larger, full of straw; and then he bade her spin it into gold dur- 
ing the night if she valued her life. The maiden was again quite 
at a loss what to do ; but while she cried the door opened suddenly 
as before, and the dwarf appeared and asked her what she would 
give in return for his assistance. “The ring off my finger,” she 
replied. The little man took the ring and began to spin at once, 
and by morning all the straw was changed to glistening gold. 
The king was rejoiced above measure at the sight of this, but still 
he was not satisfied. He led the maiden into another room, full 
of straw and said, “This you must spin during the night; if you 
accomplish it you shall be my bride.” 

When the maiden was left alone, the dwarf again appeared, 
and asked, for the third time, “What will you give me to do this 
for you?” 

“I have nothing left that I can give you,” replied the maiden. 

“Then promise me your first-born child if you become 
queen,” said he. 

The miller’s daughter thought, “Who can tell if that will 
ever happen?” and, ignorant how else to help herself out of her 


92 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 



trouble, she promised the dwarf what he desired ; and he immedi- 
ately set about and finished the spinning. When morning came, 
and the king found all he had wished for done, he celebrated his 
wedding, and the miller’s fair daughter became queen. 

About a year after the marriage, when she had ceased to 
think about the little dwarf, she brought a fine child into the 
world; and, suddenly, soon after its birth, the funny little man 
appeared and demanded what she had promised. The frightened 
queen offered him all the riches of the kingdom if he would leave 
her her child; but the dwarf answered, “No; something human 
is dearer to me than all the wealth of the world.” 

The queen began to weep and groan so much, that the dwarf 
felt sorry for her, and said, “I will leave you three days to con- 
sider; if you can guess my name in that time you shall keep 
your child.” 


RUMPELSTILTSKIN 


93 


All night long the queen racked her brains for the names 
she could think of, and sent a messenger through the country to 
collect far and wide any new names. The following morning 
came the dwarf, and she began with “Caspar,” “Melchior,” 
“Balthasar,” and all the odd names she knew; but at each the 
little man exclaimed, “That is not my name.” The second day 
the queen inquired of all her people for uncommon and curious 
names, and called the dwarf “Ribs-of-beef,” “Sheepshank,” 
“Whalebone;” but at each he said, “This is not my name.” 
The third day the messenger came back and said, T have not 
found a single name; but as I came to a high mountain near the 
edge of a forest, I saw a little house, and before the door a fire 
was burning, and round this fire a very curious little man was 
dancing on one leg, and shouting, — 

“ ‘Today I stew, and then I’ll bake, 

Tomorrow I shall the queen’s child take ; 

Ah ! how famous it is that nobody knows 
That my name is Rumpelstiltskin.” 

When the queen heard this she was very glad, for now she 
knew the name; and soon after came the dwarf, and asked, “Now, 
my Lady Queen, what is my name?” 

First she said, “Are you called Conrad?” “No.” 

“Are you called Hal?” “No.” 

“Are you called Rumpelstiltskin?” 

“A witch has told you! a witch has told you!” shrieked the 
little man, and stamped his right foot so hard in the ground with 
rage that he could not draw it out again. Then he took hold 
of his left leg with both his hands, and pulled away so hard that 
his right came off in the struggle, and he hopped away howling 
terribly. And from that day to this the queen has heard no more 
of her troublesome visitor. 



The Elves and the Shoemaker 

T HERE was once upon a time a shoemaker who, though he 
worked very hard, could not make enough money to sup^ 
port himself and his wife. At last the day came when he had 
nothing left in the world but a piece of fine leather, just big 
enough to make one pair of shoes. 

He cut out the leather to have ready to make it up the next 
day, and then went to bed, with a clear conscience, knowing that 
he had always been honest and done the best he could. 

Next morning when he went out to his little shop, he was 
greatly surprised to see the leather all made up into a handsome 
pair of shoes. He examined the workmanship carefully and was 
delighted for there was not a false stitch in either shoe. 

That very day a rich customer came in and was so pleased 
with the shoes that he bought them, and paid a generous sum. 
With the money, the happy shoemaker rushed out and bought 

94 



THE ELVES AND THE SHOEMAKER 


95 


leather enough to make two pairs more. In the evening he cut 
out the work, and then went to bed so as to get up early in the 
morning and get a good start. But he did not need to hurry 
up, for next morning there stood the shoes already made. 

Soon two buyers came in and paid him so well for the shoes 
that the shoemaker was able to buy leather enough for four pairs 
of shoes. He cut out the work again at night, and found it fin- 
ished in the morning as before. And so things went on for a 
long time. Whatever work was laid out in the evening was sure 
to be finished by daybreak. The shoemaker was very careful and 
soon became prosperous. 

But all this time he was wondering who it was that came 
every night and made up the shoes. “Wife,” said he, one evening 
towards Christmas, when they were sitting around the fire 
chatting, “my curiosity is getting the better of me. I believe I 
will sit up to-night and watch and see if I can’t find out who it is 
that comes every night and does my work.” 

“That’s a bright idea, husband, and I’ll stay up too, to keep 
you company.” 

So they left a light burning and hid in a corner behind a 
heavy curtain, where they could see without being seen. 

Just at midnight, they heard the door open and in came three 
little naked dwarfs. They went right over to the shoemaker’s 
bench, took up the work that was cut out and began to stitch and 
rap-a-tap-tap, while the man and his wife looked on in amaze- 
ment. Long before daybreak the shoes were all made and laid 
in neat rows on the table. Then the dwarfs stole noiselessly 
away. 

“To think,” said the wife next day, “that it has been those 
three little dwarfs who have done all that work every evening in 
order to make us rich! We ought to be very thankful to them 
and do something good in return. It makes me feel bad to see 


96 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


them running about without any clothes this cold weather. Sup- 
pose we give them a Christmas present. I’ll make each of them a 
nice suit of clothes and you make them each a nice pair of little 
shoes.” 

The shoemaker was much jdeased with this idea and set to 
work at once. On Christmas eve they laid the cunning little 
clothes and shoes on the bench instead of the usual cut-out 
leather. Then they went and hid so as to watch the elves when 
they came in. 

About midnight, in they came, and were just about to seat 
themselves at the bench when they spied the clothes. They were 
delighted and in the twinkling of an eye they had dressed them- 
selves. Then they took hands and danced and capered around 
the room, so happy that it nearly made the shoemaker laugh out 
loud, from his hiding place behind the curtain. At last the little 
elves could dance no more and as there was no work to do that 
evening, they scampered away, and never came back again. But 
the shoemaker prospered more than ever from that time on and 
grew richer and richer the longer he lived. 





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WHEN THEY REACHED THE PALACE 





Beauty and the Beast 

L ONG ago there was a rich merchant who had six children, 
three sons and three daughters. The youngest daughter 
was so beautiful that every one called her Beauty 

As the years went by the merchant lost all his wealth and 
had nothing left but one farm out in the country. The whole 
family had to move out there and it made the two older daughters 
very unhappy, because they could no longer have fine clothes and 
go to parties and balls. But Beauty was quite content. She 
kept her father’s house in good order, and was so cheerful and 
happy about everything that her father felt that in spite of his 
losses he was rich indeed to have such a daugher. 

They had been in the country about a year when the mer- 
chant received a letter saying that one of his ships, that he had 
given up for lost long ago, had reached port. The sisters were 
delighted and begged their father to go and settle the matter. 


98 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


“And what does my dear little daughter Beauty want?” 
said the kind-hearted father. 

“Bring me back a rose, for none grow around here and 
I long to see one,” replied Beauty. 

The father set off on his journey, but alas, it was not a 
successful one. Someone else claimed the ship, and before the 
matter was settled he found himself poorer than ever. On his 
way home he had to pass through a dense forest. Night came 
on and he was about to give himself up for lost when he dis- 
covered a dim light in the distance. He rode on toward it and 
soon came to a magnificent palace. He dismounted and entered, 
but all was silent. The strange part was that the rooms were 
gaily lighted but there was not a soul to be seen. The merchant 
looked about in all the rooms. When he came to the dining- 
room there stood a table with a nice supper all prepared. The 
poor man was so hungry he sat down and ate. 

“I do hope the master of the house will forgive me for taking 
such liberties,” said the merchant to himself, “but I am half 
starved and this chicken is so tempting.” 

After he had eaten a hearty meal, he felt drowsy, and lay 
down in an adjoining bed-room. He slept so soundly that it was 
ten o’clock next morning before he awoke. He was greatly 
surprised to find a nice new suit of clothes on a chair by the bed. 
His old ones which had been ruined on his journey had disap- 
peared. Returning to the dining-room he found the table spread 
with a dainty breakfast, but still no one was in sight. He felt 
sure now that the palace belonged to some good fairy. 

After breakfast he went to the stable to look for his horse, 
and on his way he passed under an arbor of beautiful roses. He 
happened to remember Beauty’s request to bring home a rose, so 
he reached up and plucked a spray to take her. No sooner had 
he done so than he heard a frightful roar, and looking around 


BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 


99 


he saw a horrible Beast coming after him. The poor man was 
terrified. 

“Ungrateful wretch,” roared the Beast. “I saved your life 
by letting you stay in my palace, and now you reward me by 
stealing my roses — the things I love most. You shall pay the 
forfeit with your life.” 

The poor merchant threw himself on his knees and begged 
the Beast to forgive him, saying that he had only picked the 
flower because one of his daughters had asked him to bring her 
back a rose. 

“If you have daughters,” said the Beast, “I will forgive you, 
provided that you send me one of them to die in your place. 
Should she refuse to come, then you must return in three months’ 
time.” 

The poor man mounted his horse and returned home to see 
his children once more before giving himself up to the Beast. 

When he reached there he handed the roses to Beauty, say- 
ing: “Here are the flowers, Beauty. You little think how dear 
they have cost your poor father.” Then he told his children all 
that had befallen him since he had left home. 

The two elder sisters wept and blamed it all on* Beauty. 
But Beauty replied quietly that it was no use to weep, for she had 
resolved to go and die in her father’s place. 

“No, no,” cried her brothers. “We will go and kill the 
monster.” But the father told them that the Beast was more 
mighty than they could imagine and it was no use resisting his 
will. He himself would go hack, now that he had had one last 
visit with his children. 

When the three months were up, Beauty insisted upon going 
with her father, and he finally had to consent. When they 
reached the palace and entered the dining-room they found the 
table spread for two. After supper there was a tremendous 


100 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


noise, and the Beast entered. Beauty shuddered, and when he 
asked her whether she had come of her own will, she could not 
help trembling as she faltered out “Yes.” 

“I thank you for your kindness,” growled the Beast; and 
turning to the father, he added, “As for you, get you gone to- 
morrow, and never let me see you here again. Good-night, 
Beauty.” 

“Good-night, Beast/’ said she and the Beast disappeared. 

The father entreated his daughter to return to her home 
next day and leave him there but she refused, so he was forced 
to go home and leave her alone. 

Beauty felt very sad and lonesome and wandered from room 
to room. Suddenly she came to a door on which was written 
“Beauty’s Room.” She went inside and there was an exquisitely 
furnished room, with pictures, books, all kinds of musical in- 
struments, etc. Her surprise increased on opening one of the 
books and seeing written in golden letters, — “Your wishes and 
commands shall be obeyed. You are queen of everything here.” 
“Alas!” she thought, “my wish would be to see what my poor 
father is now about.” No sooner had she spoken this wish to 
herself, than, casting her eyes \ipon a large looking-glass, she 
saw in it her father’s arrival at home. The vision lasted but a 
minute, then it disappeared, and Beauty turned away, grateful to 
the Beast for fulfilling her wish. 

At noon she found dinner ready for her, and all the while 
beautiful music played, though there was nobody in sight. 

At night the Beast came and asked permission to sup with 
Beauty. She of course could not refuse, though she trembled 
from head to foot. Presently he asked her if she did not think 
he was very ugly? 

“Yes,” said Beauty, “for I cannot tell a lie, but I think you 
have a good heart.” 


BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 


101 


The supper was going on pleasantly enough till the Beast 
said: “Beauty, will you marry me?” 

In great alarm, the girl faltered out: “No, Beast.” 

He sighed so that it shook the whole house. Saying “Good- 
night, Beauty,” in a sorrowful tone, the Beast left the room. 
Beauty could not help pitying him from the bottom of her soul. 

Beauty lived on in this manner for three months. The 
Beast supped with her each evening, and little by little she grew 
accustomed to his ugliness. He was always so kind and thought- 
ful, that she grew to like him. The only thing that troubled her 
was that every evening he would ask her if she would marry 
him. When at last she told him that she had the greatest friend- 
ship for him he begged her never to leave him. 

One morning, while looking in her magic mirror, she saw 
that her father lay sick, and she felt that she had to go to him. 
She begged the Beast to let her go, saying that she would return 
in a week. He willingly gave his consent, but told her that he 
would die of grief if she did not return when she said she would. 

He explained to her that when she was ready to return tc 
him all she had to do was to lay her ring on her toilet-table be- 
fore she went to bed. 

Next morning Beauty awoke and found herself in her fath- 
er’s cottage. He was so rejoiced to see her alive, that his sick- 
ness soon left him. 

The sisters were very jealous on finding Beauty so richly 
dressed and hearing how kind the Beast had treated her. When 
her week was up they coaxed her to stay longer, thinking thereby 
to make the Beast angry at Beauty, so that he would devour her 
when at last she did return to him. 

Beauty agreed to stay another week, but in her heart she 
felt she was not doing right. About the tenth night she dreamed 
of the Beast. She saw him lying half dead on the grass in the 


102 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


palace garden. She woke up all tears, and determined to go 
to him the very next morning. She took her ring off and laid 
it on the table, then went to sleep again. Next morning she 
woke up in the palace, and waited impatiently till supper time, 
when she would see the Beast. But the clock struck nine, and no 
Beast appeared. 

“Oh, dear, I have killed him!” she cried, and ran out into the 
garden. There she found the poor Beast lying senseless on the 
ground. She threw herself upon his body in despair. His heart 
was still beating, so she ran to a near-by fountain for water, which 
she threw on his face. He opened his eyes and said in a weak 
voice: “You forgot your promise, so I resolved to starve myself 
to death; at least I shall now die happy, seeing you once more.” 

“You shall not die, dear Beast,” cried Beauty, “but shall 
live to be my husband, for now I feel that I really love you.” 

At these words, the whole palace suddenly was ablaze with 
light, and music filled the air. There was no longer any Beast 
to be seen but in his place knelt a very handsome prince. He 
took Beauty’s hand and thanked her for having broken his en- 
chantment. 

“But where is my poor Beast?” asked Beauty anxiously. 
“I want my poor Beast.” 

“I was the Beast,” said the prince. “A wicked fairy con- 
demned me to live in that form until some good and beautiful 
maiden should be found who would love me in spite of my ugli- 
ness.” 

He then took Beauty into the palace and there stood her 
father. The young pair were at once married, to the joy of the 
prince’s subjects who now appeared in all the rooms. 

The happy prince and his beautiful bride lived to reign over 
the country for many a long year. 



The Three Little Men in the Wood 

O NCE upon a time there lived a man whose wife had died; 

and a woman, also, who had lost her husband. Each of them 
had a daughter and these two maidens were very friendly. 

One day the widow said to the man’s daughter: “Tell your 
father I wish to marry him. If you do this I will promise that 
every morning you shall wash in milk and drink wine, but my 
daughter shall wash in water and drink water.” 

So the girl went home and told her father what the woman 
had said, and he replied : “Take this boot, which has a hole in the 


103 


104 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


sole, and go with it out-of-doors and pour water into it. If it 
holds the water, I will again take a wife; but if it runs through, 
I will not have her.” 

The girl did as he bid her but the water drew the hole to- 
gether and the boot became full to over-flowing. So the father 
went to the widow and settled the matter, and the wedding was 
celebrated. 

The next morning, when the two girls arose, milk to wash in 
and wine to drink were set for the man’s daughter, but only 
water, both for washing and drinking, for the woman’s daughter. 
The second morning, water for washing and drinking stood be- 
fore both the man’s daughter and the woman’s ; and on the third 
morning, water to wash in and water to drink were set before the 
man’s daughter, and milk to wash in and wine to drink before the 
woman’s daughter, and so it continued. 

Soon the woman conceived a deadly hatred for her step- 
daughter, and knew not how to behave badly enough to her, from 
day to day. She was envious too, because her step-daughter 
was beautiful and kind, and her own daughter was ugly and 
hateful. 

Once, in the winter time, when the river was frozen as hard 
as a stone, and hill and valley were covered with snow, the 
woman made a cloak of paper, and called the maiden to her and 
said, “Put on this cloak, and go away into the wood to fetch me 
a little basketful of strawberries.” 

“Mercy on us!” said the maiden, “In winter there are no 
strawberries growing.” 

“Will you dare to contradict me?” said the step-mother. 
“Make haste off, and let me not see you again until you have 
found me a basket of strawberries.” Then she gave her a small 
piece of dry bread, saying, “On that you must subsist the whole 


THE THREE LITTLE MEN IN THE WOOD 


105 


day.” But she thought — out of doors she will be frozen and 
starved, so that my eyes will never see her again! 

So the girl put on the paper cloak, and went away with the 
basket. When she came to the forest she discovered a little cot- 
tage, out of which three little dwarfs were peeping. The girl 
wished them good morning, and knocked gently at the door. 
They called her in, and entering the room, she sat down on a 
bench by the fire to warm herself, and eat her breakfast. The 
dwarfs called out, “Give us some of it!” “Willingly,” she re- 
plied, and, dividing her bread in two, she gave them half. They 
asked, ‘‘What are you doing here in the forest, in the winter 
time, in this thin cloak?” 

“Ah!” she answered, “I must get a basketful of strawberries 
and I dare not return home until I can take them with me.” 
When she had eaten her bread, they gave her a broom, saying, 
“Sweep away the snow with this from the back door.” But when 
she had gone out of doors the three dwarfs said one to another, 
“What shall we give her, because she is so gentle and good, and 
has shared her bread with us?” Then said the first, “I grant to 
her that she shall become more beautiful every day.” The second 
said, “I grant that a piece of gold shall fall out of her mouth 
for every word she speaks. The third said, “I grant that a king 
shall come and make her his bride.” 

Meanwhile, the girl had done as the dwarfs had bidden her, 
and had swept away the snow from behind the house. And 
what do you think she found there? Large ripe strawberries! 
So, filling her basket in great glee, she thanked the little men and 
gave them each her hand, and then ran home to take her step- 
mother what she wished for. As she went in and said, “Good 
evening,” two pieces of gold fell from her mouth. Thereupon she 
related what had happened to her in the forest; but at every word 
she spoke a piece of gold fell, so that the whole floor was covered. 


106 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


Her step-sister was j ealous, and wished to go into the forest 
too, to seek strawberries. Her mother, said, “No, my dear 
daughter; it is too cold, you will be frozen!” but at last she con- 
sented, and made her a beautiful fur cloak to put on; she also 
gave her buttered bread and cooked meat to eat on her way. 

The girl went into the forest and came straight to the little 
cottage. The three dwarfs were peeping out again, but she did 
not greet them; and, stumbling on without looking at them or 
speaking, she entered the room, and, seating herself by the fire, 
began to eat the bread and butter and meat. “Give us some of 
that,” exclaimed the dwarfs; but she answered, “I have not 
enough for myself, so how can I give any away?” When she 
had finished they said, “Here is a broom, go and sweep the back 
door clean.” “Oh, sweep it yourself,” she replied; “I am not 
your -servant.” When she saw that they would not do anything 
for her, she went out at the door, .and the three dwarfs said to 
each other, “What shall we give her? she is so ill-behaved, and 
has such a bad and envious disposition, that nobody can wish 
well to her.” The first said, “I grant that she becames more ugly 
every day.” The second said, “I grant that at every word she 
speaks a toad shall spring out of her mouth.” The third said, “I 
grant that she shall die a miserable death.” Meanwhile the girl 
had been looking for strawberries out of doors, but as she could 
find none she went home very peevish. When she opened her 
mouth to tell her mother what had happened to her in the forest, 
a toad jumped out of her mouth at each word, so that every one 
fled away from her in horror. 

The step-mother was now still more vexed, and was always 
thinking how she could do most harm to her husband’s daughter, 
who every day became more beautiful. One day she gave her a 
net and an axe, that she might go upon the frozen pond and cut 
a hole in the ice to drag the net. She obeyed, and went away and 


THE THREE LITTLE MEN IN THE WOOD 


107 - 


cut an ice-hole; and while she was cutting, an elegant carriage 
came by, in which the king sat. The carriage stopped, and the 
king said, “My child, who are you? and what do you here?” “I 
am a poor girl, and am dragging a net,” said she. Then the king 
pitied her, and saw how beautiful she was, and said, “Will you 
go with me?” “Yes, indeed, with all my heart,” she replied, for 
she was glad to get out of the sight of her mother and sister. 

So she was handed into the carriage, and driven away with 
the king; and as soon as they arrived at his castle the wedding 
was celebrated with great splendor, as the dwarfs had granted to 
the maiden. After a year the young queen bore a son ; and when 
the stepmother heard of her great good fortune, she came to the 
castle with her daughter, and behaved as if she had come on a 
visit. But one day, when the king had gone out, and no one was 
present, this bad woman seized the queen by the head, and her 
daughter caught hold of her feet, and raising her out of bed, they 
threw her out of the window into the river which ran past. Then, 
laying her ugly daughter in the bed, the old woman covered 
her up. When the king came back he wished to speak to his wife 
but the old woman exclaimed, ‘‘Softly! Softly! do not go near 
her; she is sleeping, and must he kept quiet today.” The king, 
not thinking of any evil design, came again the next morning the 
first thing; and when he spoke to his wife, and she answered, a 
toad sprang out of her mouth at every word, as a piece of gold 
had done before. So he asked what had happened, and the old 
woman said, “That is produced by her weakness, she will soon 
lose it again.” 

But in the night the kitchen-boy saw a duck swimming 
through the brook, and the duck asked: “King, king, what are 
you doing? Are you sleeping, or are you waking?” And as he 
gave no answer, the duck said, “What are my guests doing?” 
Then the boy answered, “They all sleep sound.” And she asked 


108 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAI11Y TALES 


him, “How fares my child ?” And he replied: “In his cradle he 
sleeps.” 

Then she came up in the form of the queen to the cradle, and 
gave the child drink, shook up his bed, and covered him up, and 
then swam away, as a duck, through the brook. The second night 
she came again; and on the third she said to the kitchen-boy, “Go 
and tell the king to take his sword, and swing it thrice over me.” 
Then the boy ran and told the king, who came with his sword, 
and swung it thrice over the duck; and at the third time his 
bride stood before him, bright, living, and healthful, as she had 
been before. 

Now the king was very happy, but he hid the queen in a 
chamber until the Sunday when the child was to be christened; 
and when all was finished he asked, “What ought to be done to 
one who takes another out of a bed and throws her into the river?” 
“Nothing could be more proper,” said the old woman, “than to 
jmt such a person into a cask, stuck round with nails, and to roll 
it down the hill into the water.” 

Then the king said, “You have spoken your own sentence;” 
and ordering a cask to be fetched, he caused the old woman and 
her daughter to be put into it. After the bottom was nailed up, 
the cask was rolled down the hill until it fell into the water. 


The Three Languages 

I N Switzerland there lived an old 
count, who had an only son, who 
was quite stupid and never learned 
anything. One day the father said, 
“My son, I can pound nothing into 
your head. Now you shall go away, 
and an eminent master shall trv his 
hand with you.” 

So the youth was sent to a for- 
eign city, and remained a whole year 
with his master, and at the end of that 
time he returned home. His father 
asked him at once what he had 
learned, and he replied, “My father, 
I have learned what the dogs bark.” 

“Mercy on us!” exclaimed the 
father, “is this all you have learned? I will send you to some 
other city, to another master.” So the youth went away a second 
time, and after he had remained a year, with this master, came 
home again. His father asked him, as before, what he had learned, 
and he replied, “I have learned what the birds sing.” This answer 
put the father in a passion, and he exclaimed, “Oh, you prodigal! 
has all this precious time passed, and have you learned nothing? 
Are you not ashamed to come into my presence? Once more, I 
will send you to a third master; but if you learn nothing this 
time I will no longer be a father to you.” 



109 


110 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


With this third master the boy remained, as before, a twelve- 
month; and when he came back to his father, he told him that 
he had learned the language that the frogs croak. At this the 
father flew into a great rage, and, calling his people together, 
said, “This youth is no longer my son; I cast him off, and com- 
mand that you lead him into the forest and take away his life.” 

The servants led him away into the forest, but they had not 
the heart to kill him, and so they let him go. They cut out, how- 
ever, the eyes and the tongue of a fawn, and took them for a token 
to the old count. 

The young man wandered along, and after some time came 
to a castle, where he asked for a night’s lodging. The lord of 
the castle said, “Yes, if you will sleep down below. There is the 
tower; you may go, but I warn you it is very perilous, for it is 
full of wild dogs, which bark and howl at every one, and, at cer- 
tain hours, a man must be thrown to them to devour.” 

Now, on account of these dogs, the whole country round was 
in terror and sorrow, for no one could prevent their ravages; 
but the youth, being afraid of nothing, said, “Only let me in to 
these barking hounds, and give me something to throw to them; 
they will not harm me.” 

Since he himself wished it, they gave him some meat for the 
wild hounds, and let him into the tower. As soon as he entered, 
the dogs ran about him quite in a friendly way, wagging their 
tails, and never once barking ; they ate, also, the meat he brought, 
and did not attempt to do him the least injury. The next morn- 
ing to the astonishment of every one, he came forth unharmed, 
and said to the lord of the castle, “The hounds have informed 
me, in their language, why they thus waste and bring destruc- 
tion upon the land. They have the guardianship of a large 
treasure beneath the tower, and till that is raised, they have no 


THE THREE LANGUAGES 


111 


rest. In what way and manner this is to be done I have also 
learned from them.” 

At these words every one began rejoicing, and the lord 
promised him his daughter in marriage, if he could raise the 
treasure. This task he happily accomplished, and the wild hounds 
thereupon disappeared, and the country was freed from that 
plague. Then the beautiful maiden was married to the young 
count, and they lived happily together. 

After some time, he one day got into a carriage with his wife 
and set out on the road to Rome. On their way thither, they 
passed a swamp, where the frogs sat crooking. The young count 
listened, and when he heard what they said, he became quite 
thoughtful and sad, but he did not tell his wife the reason. At 
last they arrived in Rome, and found the pope was just dead, 
and there was a great contention among the cardinals as to who 
should be his successor. They at length resolved, that he on whom 
some miraculous sign should be shown should be elected. Just 
as they had thus agreed upon the matter the young count 
stepped into the church, and suddenly two snow-white doves flew 
down, one on each of his shoulders, and remained perched there. 
The clergy recognized in this circumstance the sign they re- 
quired, and asked him on the spot whether he would be pope. 
The young count was undecided, and knew not whether he were 
worthy; but the doves whispered to him that he might take the 
honor, and so he consented. Then he was anointed and con- 
secreted; and so was fulfilled what the frogs had prophesied — 
and which had so disturbed him — that he should become the pope. 
Upon his election he had to sing a mass, of which he knew noth- 
ing ; but the two doves sitting upon his shoulder told him all that 
he required. 


Puss in Boots 


T here was once 
a miller who had 
three sons. When he 
died he had nothing to 
leave his children but 
his mill, his ass and his 
cat. The eldest re- 
ceived the mill, the 
second the ass, and the 
third the cat. 

The youngest son 
was quite discouraged 
and said : “How shall I 
earn an honest liveli- 
hood, with nothing but 
a cat? After I have 
sold its skin, what shall 
I do then?” 



Now the cat was sitting on the window-sill and heard these 
remarks, so he answered: “Good master, do not be so downcast. 
I will help you. Give me a bag, and buy me a pair of boots — 
such as other people wear — and you will soon see that you have 
a better bargain than you think for.” 

Although the cat’s master knew the animal was very clever 
at doing tricks, he didn’t see how he would be able to help him 

112 


PUSS IN BOOTS 


113 


make his fortune. Nevertheless he decided to do as the cat said, 
so he bought him the boots and gave him a bag. 

The cat pulled on the boots, hung the bag around his neck 
and set off for a place where he knew there were many rabbits. 
He filled his bag with bran and seed, and then stretched himself 
out as if he were dead. In a few moments a thoughtless young 
rabbit caught at the bait and went headlong into the bag. The 
cat then drew the strings and strangled the poor rabbit, after 
which he hurried to the palace and asked to speak to the king. 

When the king appeared, the cat bowed low and said: “Your 
majesty, I bring you a rabbit, from the warren of the Marquis 
of Carabas, which he wishes you to accept.” Now the king had 
never heard of the Marquis of Carabas — you see it was the name 
that the cat had chosen for his master — but he was so pleased 
with the clever cat that he accepted the rabbit with great pleasure 
and sent his kindest regards to the marquis. 

The next day the cat lured two partridges into his bag and 
took them to the king, saying his master the Marquis of Carabas 
had sent them. 

For two or three months. Puss continued to carry game 
every now and then to the king, and his majesty always treated 
him very graciously. One day the cat learned that the king was 
going to take a ride along the river bank, accompanied by his 
beautiful daughter. 

Puss rushed home and told his master that if he would do 
exactly as bidden, his fortune would be made. “All you need to 
do is to go bathe in the river at the spot I shall point out. The 
rest you can leave to me.” 

The Marquis of Carabas, as the miller’s son now called 
himself to humor the cat, went down to the river and was swim- 


114 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


ming about when he saw the king’s coach coming down the drive-* 
way. Just then he heard his cat bawl out: 

“Help! help! the Marquis of Carabas is drowning! Save 
him.” 

The king looked out of the window, and recognizing the cat 
who had so often brought him game, ordered his followers to 
rush to the assistance of the Marquis of Carabas. 

While this was being done, the cat stepped up to the royal 
coach, bowed low and told the king that some wicked robbers 
had stolen the marquis’ clothes. Of course, this was not 
true, for the cunning cat had hidden them himself under a stone. 

The king immediately ordered the gentlemen of his ward- 
robe to go bring one of his finest suits to lend the poor marquis. 

Now the miller’s son was a fine big fellow and very hand- 
some. When he put on the rich borrowed clothes and presented 
himself before the king and his daughter, the king, of course, took 
him for a very fine gentleman. The princess was so impressed 
by his appearance that she fell in love with him at first sight. 

The king insisted upon the marquis’ getting into the carriage 
and taking a drive with him. 

The cat was quite pleased that his plans were working so 
well. He now rushed on ahead and when he came to a meadow 
where some peasants were mowing, he cried out: “Here comes 
the royal coach, and when the king asks you who owns this field, 
you must say ‘the Marquis of Carabas.’ If you don’t, you shall 
be chopped as fine as mince-meat.” 

When the coach came past, and the king put his head out of 
the window and asked who owned the fine looking fields, the 
peasants answered: “It belongs to the Marquis of Carabas.” 

Puss then ran on and came to some reapers. “I say, you 


PUSS IN BOOTS 


115 


reapers,” cried he, “be sure you tell the king that all this corn 
belongs to the Marquis of Car abas or else you shall, every one 
of you, be ground up as fine as pepper/’ 

The king passed by a moment after and asked to whom the 
cornfields belonged. 

“To the Marquis of Carabas, your majesty,” replied the 
reapers. The king beamed on the marquis to see he was so 
wealthy. The marquis played his part well, and simply shrugged 
his shoulders, as much as to say “it’s nothing — a mere trifle.” 

Puss kept running on in front of the carriage, and at length 
reached a magnificent castle belonging to a giant who was very 
rich, for all the fine farm-lands the king had just been passing 
belonged to him. 

Puss inquired what sort of a person the ogre was and what 
he was able to do, then sent in a message asking leave to speak 
to him. At last Puss was ushered in before the giant, and said : 
“I was passing through this oart of the country and wanted to 
pay my respects to you, as I have heard what a wonderful per- 
son you are. They say you can change yourself into a lion, or an 
elephant any time you Want.” 

“So I can,” replied the ogre sharply, and he immediately 
became a ferocious lion. Puss was so frightened that he ran up 
the curtain, and would not come down till the giant had returned 
to his natural shape. 

“My, you are wonderful,” said the cunning cat. “But you 
have no idea what funny stories they tell about you. Would you 
believe it, they say you can also turn yourself into the smallest 
kind of an animal— for instance a rat or a mouse. But of course 
that is too much to believe. It must be impossible.” 

“Impossible, is it,” roared the monster, “I will show you,” 


116 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


and with that he turned himself into a mouse and began frisking 
about. Sly Puss lost no time, but pounced on the mouse and 
killed him. 

By this time the king had reached the gates of the giant’s 
castle and Puss was there to greet him, saying, “Welcome to the 
castle of my lord, the Marquis of Carabas.” 

“Well, well, marquis, does this magnificent castle also be- 
long to you?” asked the king. “I should like to see the inside, 
with your permission.” 

So they all went in, and Puss showed them from one gorge- 
ous room to another. The king was highly delighted, for the 
castle was magnificent and the Marquis of Carabas was proving 
an excellent host. He also noticed that the princess and the 
marquis seemed to be quite in love with each other, so he said: 

“Marquis, if you wish to marry my daughter, you have but 
to say the word.” 

The marquis bowed and looked longingly at the princess 
who also bowed and gave him her hand. They were married 
that very day, and the old king gave them his blessing. 

The marquis was so grateful to Puss in Boots, that he im- 
mediately made him a great lord and gave him plenty of money 
so that he lived in ease all the rest of his days. He no longer 
had to hunt for his food, and never chased mice except for sport. 



Clever Grethel 

T HERE was once a cook named Grethel who was so fond of 
eating that she would often consume the best things in the 
house, saying to herself: “A cook ought to know the taste of 
everything. ” 

One day her master invited a gentleman to dinner and 
told her to cook a pair of fine chickens. 

At the proper time the fowls were all ready. They were 
beautifully brown and hot, but the guest had not yet arrived. 

The master, becoming impatient, walked down the street 
to see if he could see his friend coming. 


117 


118 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


As soon as his back was turned, Grethel put the pan with the 
birds to one side, and said to herself: “I have been standing by 
the fire so long that it has made me quite thirtsy. Who knows 
when the company will come? While I am waiting I may as well 
run into the cellar, and have a little drop.” So she seized a jug, 
and said, “All right, Grethel, you shall have a good drink.” 

After this she went into the kitchen, and placed the fowls 
again on the fire, basted them with butter, anti rattled the pan 
round so furiously, that they browned and frizzled with the heat. 
“They would never miss a little piece, if they searched for it ever 
so carefully,” she said to herself. Then she dipped her finger in 
the dripping-pan to taste, and cried, “Oh, how nice these fowls 
are! It is a sin and a shame that there is no one here to eat them.’' 

She ran to the window to see if her master and the guest were 
coming; but she could see no one. So she went and stood again 
by the fowls, and thought, “the wing of that fowl is a little burnt. 
I had better eat it.” She cut it off, and ate it up, and it tasted 
so nice that when she had finished it, she thought, “I must have 
the other. Master will never notice that anything is missing.” 

“After the two wings were eaten, Grethel again went to 
look for the master, but there were no signs of his appearance. 
‘Who knows,” said she to herself, “perhaps the visitor is not 
coming at all. So she went back to the kitchen and ate the re- 
mainder of the chicken with great relish. 

There was now only one fowl left, and, as her master did not 
return, Grethel began to look at it with longing eyes. At last 
she said, “Where one is, there must the other be; for the fowls 
belong to each other, and what is right for one is also fair and 
right for the other. I believe, too, I want some more to drink. 
It won’t hurt me.” The last draught gave her courage. She 
came hack to the kitchen, and let the' second fowl go after the first. 


CLEVER GRETHEL 


119 


As she was enjoying the last morsel, home came her master. 
“Make haste, Grethel,” he cried. “The guest will be here in a 
few minutes.” 

“Yes, master,” she replied. “It will soon be all ready.” 

Meanwhile, the master saw that the cloth was laid, and every- 
thing in order. So he took up the carving-knife, with which he 
intended to carve, and went out to sharpen it on the stones in the 
passage. 

While he was doing so, the guest arrived, and knocked 
gently and courteously at the house-door. Grethel ran out to see 
who it was, and when she caught sight of the visitor, she placed 
her finger on her lips, and whispered: “Hush, hush! go back 
again as quickly as you came. If my master should catch you, it 
would be unfortunate. He did invite you to dinner this evening ; 
but with no other intention than to cut off both your ears. Listen, 
you can hear him sharpening his knife.” 

The guest heard the sound, and hastened as fast as he could 
down the steps, and was soon out of sight. 

Then Grethel ran screaming to her master and said: “You 
have invited a fine guest, indeed. He was just here and took the 
two beautiful fowls from the dish, while I was down cellar getting 
the wine. There he goes running down the street now.” 

The master was so sorry to lose his fine dinner that he rushed 
out to follow the thief, knife in hand, crying: “let me have one 
anyway.” 

The guest, seeing his friend chasing him with the carving 
knife thought of course he meant to cut off his ears, so ran faster 
than ever, and finally reached his home in safety. 


Snow-White and Rose-Red 


HERE was once a poor widow who had two beautiful 



-L daughters called Snow-White and Rose-Red. They had 
been named after the roses that grew in front of the cottage. 

The two children loved each other dearly and always walked 
hand in hand wherever they went. They were unhappy if they 
had to be separated even for a day. Whatever one had was 
always shared with the other. 

Snow-White and Rose-Red kept their mother’s cottage so 
clean that it was a pleasure to enter it. Every morning in the 
summer-time Rose-Red would put the house in order. Every 


SNOW-WHITE AND ROSE -RED 


121 


winter’s morning Snow-White would light the fire and put the 
kettle on to boil. In the evening, when the flakes of snow were 
falling, the mother would say, “Go, Snow-White, and bolt the 
door;” and then they used to sit down on the hearth, and the 
mother would put on her spectacles and read out of a great bock, 
while her children sat spinning. By their side, too, lay a little 
lamb, and on a perch behind him a little white dove reposed with 
her head under her wing. 

One evening there came a knock at the door. “Make haste, 
Bose-Red,” cried her mother, and open the door; perhaps there 
is some traveler outside who needs shelter.” 

So Rose-Red opened the door, expecting to see some poor 
man outside; hut instead, a great fat bear poked his black head 
in. Rose-Red shrieked out and ran back, the little lamb bleated, 
the dove fluttered on her perch, and Snow-White hid herself be- 
hind her mother’s bed. The bear, however, began to speak, 
and said, ‘‘Be not afraid, I will do you no harm; but I am half 
frozen, and wish to come in and warm myself.” 

“Poor bear!” cried the mother; “come in and lie down before 
the fire; but take care you do not harm your skin;” and then she 
continued, “Come here, Rose-Red and Snow-White, the bear 
will not harm you.” So they both came back, and by degrees 
the lamb too and the dove overcame their fears and welcomed 
the rough visitor. 

The bear stretched himself before the fire and grumbled 
out his satisfaction, and in a little while the children became fa- 
miliar enough to play with him. They pulled his long shaggy 
skin, set their feet upon his back and rolled him to and fro, and 
even ventured to beat him with a hazel-stick, laughing when he 
grumbled. The bear bore all their tricks good-naturedly, and if 
they hit too hard he cried out, — 


122 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


“Leave me my life, you children, 

Snow-White and Rose-Red, 

Or you’ll never wed.” 

When bedtime came the mother said to the bear, “You may 
sleep here on the hearth if you like, and then you will be safely 
protected from the cold and bad weather.” 

Next morning the children let the bear out again, and he 
trotted away over the snow, and ever afterwards he came back 
every evening at a certain hour. He would lie down on the 
hearth and allow the children to play with him as much as they 
liked, till by degrees they became so accustomed to him, that the 
door was left unbolted till their black friend arrived. 

But as soon as spring returned, the bear one morning told 
Snow-White that he must leave her, and could not return during 
the whole summer. 

“Where are you going then, dear bear?” asked Snow-White. 
“I am obliged to go into the forest and guard my treasures from 
the evil dwarfs. In winter, when the ground is hard, they are 
forced to keep in their holes and cannot work through ; but now, 
since the sun has thawed the earth and warmed it, the dwarfs 
pierce through, and steal all they can find. What has once 
passed into their hands, and is concealed by them in their 
caves, is not easily brought to light.” 

Snow-White, however, was very sad at the departure of the 
bear, and opened the door so hesitatingly, that when he pressed 
through it he left behind on the latch a piece of his hairy coat; 
and through the hole which was made in his coat, Snow-White 
fancied she saw the glittering of gold, but she was not quite 
certain of it. The bear, however, ran hastily away, and was soon 
hidden behind the tree, 


SNOW-WHITE AND ROSE -RED 


123 


Some time afterwards the mother sent the children into the 
wood to gather sticks, and while doing so they saw a dwarf, with 
an old wrinkled face and a snow-white beard a yard long. The 
end of this beard was caught in a split of the tree, and the little 
man kept jumping about like a de^ tied by a chain, for he did 
not know how to free himself. l e glared at the maidens with 
his red, fiery eyes, and exclaimed, “Why do you stand there? Are 
you going to pass without offering me any assistance?” 

“What have you done, little man?” asked Rose-Red. 

“You stupid, gazing goose!” exclaimed he, “I was trying to 
split the tree when the smooth wood flew up upwards, and the 
tree closed so suddenly together, that I could not draw my beauti- 
ful beard out ; and here it sticks, and I cannot get away. There, 
don’t laugh, you milk-faced things, but hurry and help me.” 

The children tried as hard as they could to pull the dwarf’s 
beard out, but without success. “I will run and fetch some help,” 
cried Rose-Red at length. 

“Crack-brained sheep’s-head that you are!” snarled the 
dwarf; “what are you going to call other people for? You are 
two too many now for me; can you think of nothing else?” 

“Don’t be impatient,” replied Snow-White; “I have thought 
of something;” and, pulling her scissors out of her pocket, she cut 
off the end of the beard. As soon as the dwarf found himself 
at liberty he snatched up his sack, filled with gold, and, throwing 
it over his shoulder, marched off, without even thanking the 
children. 

Some time afterwards Snow-White and Rose-Red went 
fishing, and as they neared the pond they recognized the dwarf. 

The little man had been sitting there angling, and, un- 
fortunately, the wind had entangled his beard with the fishing- 
line ; and so when a great fish bit at the bait, the strength of the 


124 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


weak little fellow was not able to draw it out, and the fish had 
the best of the struggle. The dwarf held on by the reeds and 
rushes which grew near, but to no purpose, for the fish pulled 
him where it liked, and he must soon have been drawn into the 
pond. Luckily just then the two maidens arrived, and tried to 
release the beard of the dwarf from the fishing-line, but both were 
too much entangled for it to be done. So Snow-White pulled out 
her scissors again and cut off another piece of the beard. When 
the dwarf saw this done he was in a great rage, and exclaimed, 
“Tou donkey! that is the way to disfigure my face. Was it not 
enough to cut it once, but you must now* take away the best part 
of my fine beard ? I dare not show myself again now to my own 
people. I wish you had run the soles off your boots before you 
had come here!” So saying, he took up a bag of pearls, which 
lay among the rushes, and, without speaking another word, 
slipped off and disappeared behind a stone. 

Not many days after this adventure, it happened that the 
mother sent the two maidens to the next town to buy thread, 
needles, pins, laces and ribbons. On their way they saw a great 
bird flying round and round, and every now and then dropping 
lower and lower, till at last it flew down behind a rock. Im- 
mediately afterwards they heard a piercing shriek, and, running 
up, they saw that the eagle had caught their old acquaintance the 
dwarf, and was trying to carry him off. The compassionate 
children thereupon laid hold of the little man, and held him fast 
till the bird gave up the struggle and flew off. As soon as the 
dwarf had recovered from his fright, he exclaimed in his squeak- 
ing voice, “Could you not hold me more gently? You have 
seized my fine brown coat in such a manner that it is all torn 
and full of holes!” With these words he shouldered a bag filled 
with precious stones, and slipped away to his cave among the 
rocks. 


SNOW-WHITE AND ROSE-RED 


125 



The maidens were now accustomed to his ingratitude, and so 
they walked on to the town and transacted their business there. 
Coming home they passed the spot where the dwarf had shaken 
out his bag of precious stones, thinking nobody was near. The 
sun was shining, and the bright stones glittered in its beams, and 
displayed such a variety of colors that the two maidens stopped 
to admire them. 

“What are you standing there gaping for?” asked the dwarf, 
while his face grew as red as copper with rage; he was continuing 
to abuse the poor maidens, when a loud roaring noise was heard, 
and presently a great black bear came rolling out of the forest. 
The dwarf jumped up terrified, but he could not gain his retreat 
before the bear overtook him. Thereupon he cried out, “Spare 
me, my dear Lord Bear ! I will give you all my treasures. There 
are two wicked girls, take them; they would make nice morsels; 
as fat as young quails; eat them.” 


126 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


The bear, however, without troubling himself to speak, gave 
the bad-hearted dwarf a single blow with his paw, and he never 
stirred after. 

The maidens were then going to run away, but the bear 
called after them, “Snow-White and Rose-Red, fear not! Wait 
a bit, and I will accompany you.” They recognized his voice 
and stopped; and when the bear came, his rough coat suddenly 
fell off, and he stood up a tall man, dressed entirely in gold. 
“I am a king’s son,” he said, “and was condemned by the wicked 
dwarf, who stole all my treasures, to wander about in this forest 
in the form of a bear till his death released me. Now he has 
received his well-deserved punishment.” 

Then they went home, and Snow-White was married to the 
prince, and Rose-Red to his brother, with whom they shared the 
immense treasure which the dwarf had collected. The old mother 
also lived for many years happily with her two children; and the 
rose-trees which had stood before the cottage were planted now 
before the jmlace, and produced every year beautiful red and 
white roses. 


The Brave Little Tailor 


O NE sunshiny morning a little tailor 
was eating his breakfast of bread 
and jam. Now there were a number of 
flies buzzing around in the room. They 
soon smelled the tempting jam, and flew 
down on the table to have a taste. 

“Hello! who invited you?” cried the 
little tailor, as he drove away the unbidden 
guests. 

But it was of no use. Back again they came till finally the 
little tailor’s patience was exhausted. He made his newspaper 
into a thick roll and dashed it unmercifully into their midst, kill- 
ing seven at once. 

“Shall I admire my own bravery alone?” he cried. “No, 
no, the whole town shall hear about it.” So he sat down on his 
work-table and cut out a belt on which he sewed and stitched 
large letters forming the words: “Seven at one blow.” 

“Not only this town,” continued he, “but the whole world 
shall hear of it.” And his heart waggled with pride like a lamb’s 
tail. 

He then bound the girdle round his waist, and determined 
to go out into the world, for he considered his workshop too small 
for a display of such bravery. Before starting he searched in 
every corner of the house to discover if there was anything he 
could take with him, but found nothing but an old cheese, which 
he put in his pocket. 

As he passed out he saw before the door a bird caught in the 



127 


128 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALKS 


bushes: this he also placed in his pocket with the cheese. Then 
he set out on his j ourney, and the road he took led him up a high 
mountain. When he reached the summit, there sat an enormous 
giant, who looked at him in a friendly manner. 

The brave little tailor went straight up to him, and said, 
“Good morning, comrade, I am traveling in search of adven- 
tures — will you go with me?” 

The giant looked quite disdainfully at the little tailor, and 
exclaimed, “You conceited little imp! What! go with a little 
morsel of a man like you?” 

“Stop,” cried the tailor, “not so fast;” and, unbuttoning his 
coat, he pointed to the words on his girdle. “If you can read, 
that will show you whether I am a man or not.” 

The giant read, “Seven at one blow!” and thinking it must be 
seven men whom the tailor had killed, he began to feel more- re- 
spect for him. 

“Well, now, I \yill test you,” said the giant. “Look here, can 
you do this?” and he took up a large stone and squeezed it till 
the water came from it. 

“Oh, that is nothing,” exclaimed the tailor, “it is but play to 
me ;” and taking out the soft cheese from his pocket, he squeezed 
it till the whey ran from it. “Beat that, if you can,” said he. 

The giant knew not what to say; the strength of the little 
tailor quite astonished him. However, he took up another stone, 
and threw it to such a height in the air that it was impossible to 
see where it went. 

“Certainly, that is clever/’ said the tailed; “but the stone 
will fall somewhere. I will throw one up that shall not come 
down again.” He put his hand in his pocket, and drawing out 
the bird, threw it up into the air. 

Overjoyed at regaining its freedom, the bird rose immedi- 
ately, and spreading its wings, was soon far out of sight. 


THE BRAVE LITTLE TAILOR 


129 



“What do you think of that performance, comrade?” he 
asked. 

“You can throw very well, certainly,” replied the giant; “but 
I should like to see if you can draw a heavy weight as easily as 
you can throw.” 

He led the little tailor to a forest, in which lay an enormous 
oak which had fallen to the ground. “Now, then,” he said, “if 
you are as strong as you say, just help me to carry this tree out 
of the forest.” 

“Most willingly,” replied the little man. “You take the 
trunk on your shoulders, and leave me the leaves and the boughs ; 
they are the heaviest.” 

The giant lifted the trunk on his shoulders, but the cun- 
ning little tailor seated himself among the branches, unseen by 
the giant, who had therefore to carry the whole tree and the 
tailor in the bargain, without knowing it. 

The giant, however, had not gone far when he began to 
stagger under his heavy load. “I cannot move a step further,” 
he cried. “Don’t you hear, I shall let the tree fall.” 


130 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


At this, the tailor sprung lightly down, seized the tree with 
both hands,, and exclaimed, “Well, you can’t be so very strong, 
not to be able to carry such a tree as this.” 

They left the tree, and walked on together and finally the 
giant said to him, “As you are such a clever little fellow, you had 
better come home with me to my cave and stay the night.” 

The tailor was quite ready to accompany him, and when 
they reached the cave, there sat two other giants before a blazing 
fire, each with a large roast sheep in his hands, eating his supper. 

The giant then showed him a bed in which he could sleep, 
but when he laid himself down it was so large that he got up 
again, and, creeping into a corner, curled himself round and 
went to sleep 

At midnight, the giant, thinking his visitor was fast asleep, 
rose up, and taking a heavy iron bar, struck a blow at the bed 
which broke it right through. “Ah,” thought he, “I must have 
killed the little grasshopper. I’m done with his cunning tricks 
now.” But the next morning, when the giants went out into the 
wood, and were not thinking of the tailor, he walked up to them 
as brave as ever. 

They were so alarmed at the sight of him come to life again, 
as they thought, that they ran away quickly and were soon out 
of sight. 

Then the little man journeyed on, till he arrived at the en- 
trance court of a king’s palace. Feeling very tired, he lay down 
on the grass, and soon fell fast asleep. 

While he lay there, the people passing read on his girdle, 
“Seven at one blow.” “Ah,” exclaimed one, “he must be a great 
hero.” 

So they went and told the king that it would be a great 
advantage to secure the services of such a wonderful and clever 


man. 


THE BRAVE LITTLE TAILOR 


131 


The king listened to this counsel, and sent one of the gentle- 
men of the court to tell the little man that he wished to enlist him 
in his service. 

“Ah, yes,” exclaimed the little man, “that is exactly what 
I came for; I wish to he enlisted in the king’s service.” 

So he was received at the palace with high honors, and hand- 
some apartments were prepared for his use. 

But the military men at the court were jealous of the little 
tailor, and wished him thousands of miles away. 

They plotted against him and before long the king grew 
tired of him and decided to get rid of him in an easy way. 

Calling the tailor before him one day the king said: “In a 
forest, not far from here, two giants dwell. Now, to the one who 
shall destroy these dreadful giants, I will give my only daughter 
in marriage, and the half of my kingdom as her dowry.” 

“Well,” thought the tailor, “that is a reward worth trying 
for, especially for such a man as I am; it is an offer not met with 
every day.” 

So he replied to the king, “Yes, sir, I will overcome the 
giants,” and he set out immediately. 

After a while, he came to the forest where the two giants 
were lying fast asleep under a tree, and snoring so loudly that 
the leaves above them were shaken from the branches and fell 
to the ground. 

The little tailor was not idle; he ran quickly and filled both 
his pockets full of large stones. Then he climbed up into the 
tree, and sliding out to the end of a branch under which the 
sleepers lay, let fall upon the chest of one of the giants one stone 
after another. 

The giant woke up, and pushing his companion roughly, ex- 
claimed, “What do you mean by knocking me about like this?” 


132 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


“You are dreaming,” said the other; “I never touched you.” 
And presently they were both asleep again. 

Then the little tailor threw a heavy stone on the other giant, 
who woke up in a rage and cried, “You are striking me, now; 
what do you mean by it?” 

“I never struck you,” he growled. 

They were both so ill-tempered at being disturbed, that they 
began to quarrel and soon a regular combat followed. So furi- 
ously did they fight, that they uprooted the large trees near them 
to use as weapons, and the conflict only ended when they both 
lay dead on the ground. 

Down sprang the little tailor, drew his sword, and after 
cutting the throats of the giants, went out of the forest and re- 
turned to the court, where he presented himself before the king 
to claim the promised reward. But the king put him .off, say- 
ing that he must perform one more heroic deed, and that was to 
kill a wild boar, that did great mischief in the forest. 

“Oh, certainly,” replied the tailor; “that will be child’s play 
for me,” and he set out immediately for the forest. 

As soon as the wild boar caught sight of the tailor, he flew 
at him, with glaring tusks and a foaming mouth, and would 
have thrown him on the ground. But our clever little friend was 
too quick for him; he sprang through the open window of a little 
chapel that stood near, and out through another door on the other 
side. The boar was soon after him; but the moment he entered 
the chapel through the door, the tailor ran round quickly to close 
it, and the wild animal found himself a prisoner, for he was 
much too heavy and excited to jump through the window. 

After this the king was obliged to keep his promise and 
gave the hero his daughter and half his kingdom. 

So the wedding was performed with great pomp, but very 
little rejoicing, and thus was a tailor made into a king. 


THE BRAVE LITTLE TAILOR 


133 


Some little time after, the young queen heard her husband 
talking in his sleep, and saying: “Work away, youngster; I ex- 
pect you to finish that waistcoat very quickly, for you have the 
seams of the trousers to sew. If you sit there idling, I will lay 
the yard measure about your ears.’’ 

Such remarks were overhead several times, and the queen 
thus discovered that her husband was of low birth, and only a 
tailor. 

When she told her father of her trouble, and asked him to 
send away a husband who was only a tailor, the king tried to 
comfort her by saying, “This evening, when night comes, leave 
your chamber-door unlocked, and as soon as your husband is fast 
asleep, my servants shall enter and bind him hand and foot, and 
carry him to a ship, in which he shall sail to distant lands.” 

The young wife was overjoyed at hearing of this scheme, and 
readily consented to the arrangement. But the king’s equerry 
had overheard the conversation, and as he had a regard for this 
young man, he revealed to him the whole of the plot. 

When night came, every one retired to rest at the usual 
hour; and as soon as the queen thought her husband slept, she 
rose quietly and opened the door. But the tailor, who had only 
pretended to sleep, exclaimed in a loud voice, “Be quick, young- 
ster, and finish that waistcoast, and stitch the seams of these 
trousers, or you will soon have the yard measure about your ears. 
I have killed seven at a blow; I have destroyed two giants; I 
have hunted and taken a wild boar captive, and shall I be afraid 
of those who stand outside of my chamber door?” 

As soon as the conspirators heard this, they were in a great 
fright, and fled as if a wild host were at their heels; and from that 
time no one in the kingdom could be prevailed upon to take 
part against him, and so the tailor remained a king for the rest 
of his life. 


Faithful John 


F AITHFUL JOHN was the affectionate and trusted 
servant of a king who lived long ago. When the king was 
on his death-bed he called for his faithful servant and said to 

him: “Because you have 
been true to me all your 
life-time, I appoint you 
guardian of my only 
son, who is still very 
young. After my 
death you must show 
him all the chambers, 
halls, and vaults in the 
castle, and all the 
treasures which are in 
them. But you must 
not let him enter the 
last room in the long 
corridor for in there 
hangs the portrait of 
the daughter of the 
King of the Golden Palace. She is so beautiful that if my son 
sees her picture he will conceive a great love for her and will fall 
down in a swoon. In trying to win her he will undergo great 
perils, therefore you must keep him away.” 

Then John answered: “I will watch over the prince and 
will serve him faithfully, even if it cost me my life.” 

134 



FAITHFUL JOHN 


135 


Sometime after the old king had been borne to his grave, 
Faithful John took his young master all over the castle. He 
led him upstairs and downstairs and showed him all the riches, 
and the splendid chambers, all except the forbidden one. The 
young king remarked, however, that Faithful John always passed 
by one door, so he asked, “Why do you not open that one?” 

“There is something in it,” Faithful John replied, “which 
will frighten you.” 

But the king said, “I have seen all the rest of the castle, and 
I will know what is in there;” and he went and tried to open the 
door by force. Faithful John pulled him back, and said, “I 
promised your father before he died that you shoidd not see the 
contents of that room; it would bring great misfortunes upon both 
you and me.” 

“Oh, no,” replied the young king, “if I do not go in, it will 
be my certain ruin; I should haye no peace night nor day, until 
I have seen it with my own eyes. Now, I will not stir from the 
place till you unlock the door.” 

Then Faithful John saw that it was of no use talking; so, 
with a heavy heart he picked the key out of the great bunch and 
opened the door. As soon as the young king saw the portrait of 
the maiden, which was so beautiful and glittered with precious 
stones, he fell down on the ground insensible. Faithful John 
lifted him up, carried him to his bed, and gave him wine until he 
came to himself. The first words he spoke were, “Whom does 
that beautiful picture represent?” 

“That is the daughter of the King of the Golden Palace,” 
was the reply. 

“Then,” said the king, “my love for her is so great, that my 
life shall be spent searching for her. You are my faithful John, 
you must accompany me.” 


136 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


The trusty servant deliberated for a long while how to set 
about this business, for it was very difficult to get into the pres- 
ence of the king’s daughter. At last he thought of a way, and 
said to the king, “Everything which she has around her is of 
gold, — chairs, tables, dishes, bowls, and all the household utensils. 
Among your treasures are five tons of gold; let the goldsmiths 
of your kingdom manufacture vessels and utensils of all kinds 
therefrom — all kinds of birds, and wild wonderful beasts, such 
as will please her; then we will travel with these and try our 
luck.” 


So the king summoned all his goldsmiths, who worked day 
and night until many very beautiful things were ready. When 
all had been placed on board a ship, Faithful John put on mer- 
chant’s clothes, and the king likewise, so that they might travel 
quite unknown. Then they sailed away until they came to the 
city where dwelt the daughter of the King of the Golden Palace. 

Faithful John told the king to remain in the ship, and wait 
for him, while he went to the king’s palace with several of the 
golden articles wrapped up in a napkin. When the king’s 
daughter saw the golden cups, she was much pleased, and said, 
“They are so finely worked, that I will purchase them all.” But 
Faithful John replied, “I am only the servant of a rich mer- 
chant ; what I have here is nothing in comparsion to those which 
my master has in his ship.” Then the king’s daughter wished to 
have them all brought; but he said, “It would take many days, 
and so great is the quantity, that your palace has not halls enough 
in it to place them around.” Then her curiosity and desire were 
still more excited, and at last she said, “Take me to the ship; 
I will go myself and look at your master’s treasure.” 

Faithful John conducted her to the ship with great joy, 
and the king when he beheld her, saw that her beauty was still 


FAITHFUL JOHN 


137 


greater than the picture had represented. Presently she stepped 
on board and the king conducted her below; but Faithful John 
remained on deck by the steersman, and told him to unmoor 
the ship and put on all the sail he could, that it might fly as a 
bird through the air. Meanwhile the king showed the princess 
all the golden treasures, — the dishes, cups, bowls, the birds, the 
wild and wonderful beasts. Many hours passed away while she 
looked at everything, and in her joy she did not remark that 
the ship sailed on and on. As soon as she had looked at the last, 
and thanked the merchant, she wished to depart. But when she 
came on deck, she perceived that they were upon the high sea, 
far from the shore, and were hastening on with all sail. “Ah,” 
she exclaimed in affright, “I am betrayed; I am carried off and 
taken away in the power of a strange merchant. I would 
rather die!” 

But the king, taking her by the hand, said, “I am not a 
merchant, but a king, thine equal in birth. It is true that I have 
carried thee off ; but that is because of my overwhelming love for 
thee. Dost thou know that when I first saw the portrait of thy 
beauteous face, that I fell down in a swoon before it?” When 
the king’s daughter heard these words, she was reassured, and 
her heart was inclined towards him, so that she willingly promised 
to be his bride. 

While they thus went on their voyage on the high sea, it 
happened that Faithful John, as he sat on the deck of the ship, 
playing music, saw three crows in the air, who came flying 
towards them. He stopped playing, and listened to what they 
were saying to each other, for he understood them perfectly. 

The first one exclaimed, “There he is, carrying home the 
daughter of the King of the Golden Palace.” 

“But he is not home yet,” replied the second. 


138 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


“But he has her,” said the third; “she is sitting by him in 
the ship.” 

Then the first began again, and exclaimed, “What matters 
that? When they go on shore, a fox-colored horse will spring 
towards them, on which he will mount; and as soon as he is on 
it, it will jump up with him into the air, so that he will never 
again see his bride.” 

The second one asked, “Is there no escape?” 

“Oh yes, if another mounts behind quickly, and takes out the 
firearms which are in the holster, and with them shoots the horse 
dead, then the young king will be saved. But who knows that? 
And if any one does know it, and tells him, such a one will he 
turned to stone from the toe to the knee.” 

Then the second spoke again, “I know still more: if the 
horse should be killed, the young king will not then retain his 
bride; for when they come into the castle, a beautiful bridal 
shirt will lie there upon a dish, and seem to be woven of gold and 
silver, hut it is nothing but sulphur and pitch ; and if he puts it on, 
it will burn him to his marrow and bones.” 

Then the third crow asked, “Is there no escape ? ” 

“Oh yes,” answered the second; “if some one takes up the 
shirt with his gloves on, and throws it into the fire so that it is 
burnt, the young king will be saved. But what does that signify? 
Whoever knows it, and tells him, will be turned to stone from 
his knee to his heart.” 

Then the third crow spoke: “I know still more: even if the 
bridal shirt be consumed, still the young king will not retain his 
bride. For if, after the wedding, a dance is held, while the 
young queen dances, she will suddenly turn pale, and fall down 
as if dead; and if some one does not raise her up, and take three 
drops of blood from her right breast a? 1 throw them away, she 


FAITHFUL JOHN 


139 


will die. But whoever knows that and tells it, will have his whole 
body turned to stone, from the crown of his head to the toes of his 
feet.” 

After the crows had thus talked with one another, they flew 
away, and Faithful John, who had understood all they had said, 
was from that time very quiet and sad; if he concealed from his 
master what he had heard, misfortune would happen to him, 
and if he told him all he must give up his own life. But at last 
he thought, “I will save my master, even if I destroy myself.” 

As soon as they came on shore, it happened just as the 
crow had told, and an immense fox-red horse sprang up. “Fine !” 
said the king; “this shall carry me to my castle;” and he tried to 
mount; but Faithful John came straight up, and swinging him- 
self quickly on, drew the firearms out of the holster and shot 
the horse dead. Then the servants of the king, who were jealous 
of Faithful John, exclaimed, “How shameful to kill the beauti- 
ful creature, which might have borne the king to the castle!” 
But the king replied, “Be silent, and let him go; he is my very 
Faithful John — who knows the good he may have done.” 

Now they went into the castle, and there stood a dish in the 
hall, and the splendid bridal shirt lay in it, and seemed nothing 
else than gold and silver. The young king went up to it and 
wished to take it up, but Faithful John pushed him away, and 
taking it up with his gloves on, bore it quickly to the fire and let 
it burn. The other servants thereupon began to murmur, saying, 
“See, now he is burning the king’s bridal shirt!” But the young 
king replied, “Who knows what good he has done? Let him alone 
— he is my Faithful J ohn.” 

Soon after, the wedding was celebrated, and a grand ball 
was given, and the bride began to dance. So Faithful John paid 
great attention, and v tched her countenance; all at once she 


140 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


grew pale, and fell as if dead to the ground. Then he sprang 
up hastily, raised her up and bore her to a chamber, whe^e he 
laid her down, kneeled beside her, and drawing the three drops 
of blood out of her right breast, threw them away. As soon as 
she breathed again, she raised herself up; but the young king 
had witnessed everything, and not knowing why Faithful John 
had done this, was very angry, and called out, “Throw him into 
prison!” The next morning Faithful John was brought up for 
trial, and led to the gallows ; and as he stood upon them, and was 
about to be executed, he said, “Every one condemned to die may 
speak once before his death. Shall I also have that privilege?” 
“Yes,” answered the king, “it shall be granted you.” Then 
Faithful John replied, “I have been wrongly judged, and have 
always been true to you;” and he narrated the conversation of 
the crows which he heard at sea; and how, in order to save his 
master, he was obliged to do all he had done. Then the king 
cried out, “Oh, my most trusty John, pardon, pardon; lead him 
away!” But the trusty John had fallen down at the last word 
and was turned into stone. 

At this event both the king and the queen were in great 
grief, and the king thought, ‘Ah, how wickedly have I rewarded 
his great fidelity!” and he had the stone statue raised up and 
placed in his sleeping-chamber, near his bed; and as often as he 
looked at it, he wept and said, “Ah, could I bring you back to 
life again, my Faithful John!” 

After some time had passed, the queen bore twins, two little 
sons, who were her great joy. Once when the queen was in 
church, and the children were at home playing by their father’s 
side, the king looked up at the stone statute full of sorrow, and 
exclaimed with a sigh, “Ah, could I restore you to life, my 
Faithful John!” At these words the statue began to speak, say- 
ing, “Yes, you can make me alive again, if you will bestow on me 


FAITHFUL JOHN 


141 


that which is dearest to you.” The king replied, “All that I 
have in the world I will give up for you.” The statue spake 
again: “If you, with your own hand, cut off of the heads of both 
your children and sprinkle me with their blood, I shall be brought 
to life again.” The king was terrified when he heard that he 
must kill his two dear children; but he remembered his servant’s 
great fidelity, and how Faithful John had died for him, and draw- 
ing his sword he cut off the heads of both his children with his own 
hand. And as soon as he had sprinkled the statue with blood, 
life came back to it, and Faithful John stood again alive and 
well before him, and said, “Your faith shall not go unrewarded; 
and taking the heads of the two children, he set them on again, 
and anointed their wounds with their blood, and thereupon they 
healed again in a moment, and the children sprang away and 
played as if nothing had happened. 

Now the king was full of happiness, and as soon as he saw 
the queen coming, he hid Faithful John and both the children 
in a great closet. As soon as she came in he said to her, “Have 
you prayed in the church?” ‘‘Yes,” she answered; “but I thought 
continually of Faithful John, who has come to such misfortune 
through us.” Then he replied, “My dear wife, we can restore 
his life again to him, but it will cost us both our little sons, whom 
we must sacrifice.” The queen became pale and was terrified at 
heart, but she said, “We must restore his life on account of his 
great fidelity.” The king was glad that she thought as he did, 
and going up to the closet, he unlocked it, brought out the chil- 
dren and Faithful John, saying, “God be praised! he is saved, 
and we still have our little sons.” Then he told her all that 
happened. Afterwards they lived happily together to the end 
of their days, 


The Knapsack, the Hat, 
and the Horn 


O NCE upon a time three brothers lived together in an old- 
fashioned house, which their father had left to them in 
his will. But they had no money, and so one day they decided 
to go out into the world and 
seek their fortunes. 


As they traveled along, 
they came to a large forest, 
and in the middle of it was 
a great hill covered over 
with silver. 

“Well,” said the oldest 
brother, “I want nothing 
better than this.” So lie 
filled his pockets and hat, 
and returned home. 

The other two decided 
to hunt for greater riches 
than silver, so they traveled 
on two days more. When 
they came to another hill 
covered with gold, the sec- 
ond brother was delighted and immediately gathered up as much 
of the glittering gold as he could carry. He then bade good-bye 
to his brother and went back home. 



142 



THE KNAPSACK , THE HAT \ TH2£ 


143 


The third brother seemed to think that he would find some- 
thing better than silver or gold, so he continued on his way. 

He traveled on for three days more and it seemed as if he 
would never come to the end of the great forest. He could no 
longer find any food and he was almost starving. 

“Dear me,” said he, “if I had only one good meal I am sure 
I could find my way out of this forest.” 

Scarcely had he uttered the words than he saw, to his great 
astonishment, a napkin under a near-by tree, spread with all 
kinds of good things to eat. He was so hungry he didn’t stop 
to wonder who had cooked the food or where it had come from; 
he just sat down and devoured everything in sight. 

“It would be a shame to leave this nice linen napkin in the 
forest. I’ll take it along with me,” said he, as he folded the nap- 
kin up and put it in his pocket. 

Toward evening he again became hungry so he took out his 
napkin and spread it on the ground. Of course he didn’t think 
he could make it produce any more food, but he thought he 
would try it, so he said out loud: “I should like to see you again 
spread with cheer!” Scarcely had he spoken, when as many 
steaming dishes as there was room for stood upon the napkin. 

At the sight he exclaimed: “Now you are dearer to me 
than a mountain of silver or gold, for I perceive that you are a 
wishing-cloth.” 

The next evening he came to a charcoal-burner who lived in 
the forest. He was busy roasting some potatoes for his supper. 

“Good evening, my black fellow,” said our hero, “aren’t 
you lonesome living here alone?” 

“Yes,” replied the charcoal-burner. “One day is like another 
to me, and every night potatoes. Have you a mind for some? 
If so, be my guest-” 


144 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


“Many thanks,” replied the traveler, “but I prefer to have 
you be my guest.” And with that he spread out the magic nap- 
kin and said: “Cloth, cover thyself,” and immediately delicious 
meats and vegetables were spread about. 

The charcoal-burner opened his eyes wide, but did not waste 
much time in staring. He sat down and ate a hearty meal. 

“Your cloth pleases me,” he said, “and would be of great 
use to me here in the woods. I will strike a bargain with you. 
I have an old knapsack which possesses a wonderful virtue. If 
you tap upon it three times with your fingers, out will come a 
corporal and six men, armed from head to foot, who will do what- 
ever you command them.” 

“In faith,” cried our hero, “I do not think I can do better; 
let us change;” and giving the man his wishing-cloth, he took the 
knapsack off its hook, and strode away with it on his back. 

He had not gone very far before he wished to try the virtue 
of- his bargain; so he tapped upon it, and immediately the seven 
warriors stepped before him, and the leader said: “What does 
my lord and master desire?” 

“March back quickly to the charcoal-burner, and demand 
my wishing-cloth again,” said our hero. 

The soldiers wheeled round to the left, and before very long 
they brought back what he desired, having taken it from the 
collier without so much as asking his leave. This done he dis- 
missed them, and traveled on again. V*'j sunset he came to another 
charcoal-burner, who was preparing his supper at the*fire, and who 
asked, “Will you sup with me?” 

“No,” replied the traveler, “this time you shall be my guest;” 
and he unfolded his cloth, which was at once spread with the 
most delicate fare. They ate and drank together, and soon were 
very merry; and when their meal was done, the charcoal-burner 


THE KNAPSACK, THE HAT , THE HORN 


145 


said, ‘‘I have an old worn-out hat, which, if one puts it on and 
presses it down on his head, causes twelve field-pieces to go off 
and shoot down all that comes in their way. The hat is of no 
use to me and therefore I should like to exchange it for your 
cloth.” 

“Oh! I have no objection to that,” replied the other; and 
taking the hat, he left his wishing-cloth behind him; hut he had 
not gone very far before he tapped on his knapsack, and bade 
the soldiers, who appeared, to fetch it back from his guest. 

Next day he met a third charcoal-burner, who invited him, 
as the others had, to a potato-supper. However, he spread out 
his wishing-cloth, and the feast pleased the charcoal-burner so 
well that he offered him, in return for his cloth, a horn, which 
had still more wonderful properties than either the knapsack 
or hat; for, when one blew it, every wall and fortification fell 
down before its blast, and even whole villages and towns were 
overturned. For this horn he gladly gave his cloth, hut he soon 
sent his soldiers back for it; and now he had not only that, but 
also the knapsack, the hat, and the horn. 

“Now,” said he, “I have indeed made my fortune, and it is 
high time that I return home and see how my brothers are getting 
on.” 

When he arrived at the old place, he found his brothers had 
built a splendid palace with their gold and silver, and were living 
in clover. He entered theh^iiouse ; hut because he came in with a 
coat torn to rags, the shabby hat upon his head, and the old knap- 
sack upon his hack, his brothers would not own him and drove 
him out of doors. 

This treatment put the poor man in such a rage that he 
Knocked upon the knapsack so many times that soon a hundred 
and fifty men stood before him in rank and file. He commanded 


146 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 



*W 


V^'/ V 


them to surround his brothers’ house, and to take hazel-sticks and 
thrash them both until they knew who he was. They set up a 
tremendous howling, so that the people ran to the spot and tried 
to assist the two brothers; but they could do nothing against the 
soldiers. 

By-and-by the king himself heard the noise, and he ordered 
out a captain and troop to drive the disturber of the peace out of 
the city ; but the man with his knapsack soon gathered together a 
greater company, who heat back the captain and his men, and sent 
them home with bleeding noses. At this the king said, “This 
vagabond fellow shall be driven away;” and the next day he sent 
a larger troop against him ; but they fared no better than the first. 
The beggar, as he was called, soon ranged more men in opposition, 
and, in order to do the work quicker, he pressed his hat down upon 
his head a couple of times ; and immediately the heavy guns began 



THE KNAPSACK, THE HAT, THE HORN 


147 


to play, and soon beat down all the king’s people, and put the rest 
to flight. 

“Now,” said our hero, “I will never make peace till the king 
gives me his daughter to wed, and places me upon the throne as 
ruler of his whole dominion.” This vow which he had taken he 
caused to be communicated to the king, who said to his daughter, 
“Must is a hard nut to crack: what is there left to me but that I 
do as this man desires? If I wish for peace, and desire to keep the 
crown upon my head I must yield.” 

So the wedding was celebrated: but the princess was terribly 
vexed that her husband was such a common man, and wore not 
only a very shabby hat, but also carried about with him everywhere 
a worn out old knapsack. She determined to get rid of them; 
and day and night she was thinking how to manage it. It struck 
her suddenly that perhaps his wonderful power lay in the knap- 
sack; so she caressed him, saying, “I wish you would lay aside that 
knapsack ; it becomes you so ill that I am almost ashamed of you.” 

“Dear child,” he replied, “this knapsack is my greatest treas- 
ure; as long as I possess it I do not fear anything;” and he further 
told her of all its wonderful powers. When he had finished, the 
princess fell on his neck as if she would kiss him ; but she craftily 
untied the knapsack and, loosening it from his shoulders, ran 
away with it. As soon as she was alone she tapped upon it, and 
ordered the warriors, who appeared, to bind fast her husband 
and lead him out of the royal palace. They obeyed; and the false 
wife caused other soldiers to march behind, who were instructed 
to hunt the poor man out of the kingdom. 

It would have been all over with him had he not still 
possessed the hat, which he pressed down on his head as soon as 
his hands were free; and immediately the cannons began to go 
off, and demolished all before them. The princess herself was 


148 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


at last obliged to go and beg pardon of her husband. He con- 
sented to make peace, being moved by her supplications and 
promises to behave better in future; and she acted so lovingly, 
and treated him so well for some time after, that he entrusted 
her with the secret, that although he might be deprived of the 
knapsack, yet so long as he had the hat no one could overcome 
him. As soon as she knew this she waited until he was asleep, and 
then stole away the hat, and caused her husband to be thrown into 
a ditch. The horn, however, was still left to him ; and in a great 
passion, he blew upon it such a blast that in a minute down 
tumbled the walls, forts, houses, and palaces, and buried the king 
and his daughter in the ruins. After this feat nobody dared to 
oppose him, and he set himself up as king over the whole country. 



The Tinder-Box 


A SOLDIER came marching along the 
road. “Left, right, left, right!” He 
was just coming home from the war; his 
sword hung by his side and his knapsack 
was on his back. 

As he was walking along he met an old 
witch who was very ugly to look at. Her 
under lip was so long it hung down over 
her chin. 

“Good evening, soldier,” she said. 

“What a fine sword you have! and what a 
large knapsack! You are something like a 
soldier, and you shall have all the money 
you want.” 

“Thank you, old witch,” replied the 
soldier. 

“Do you see that tall tree over there?” asked the old woman. 
“It is hollow inside. Climb up to the top and you will see a hole 
through which you can let yourself down into the tree. I will 
tie a jpe round you so that I can pull you up again when you 
call to me.” \ 

“What am I to do when I am down in the tree?” asked the 
soldier. 

“Fetch up money,” said the witch. “Below the roots of the 
tree you will find a large hall, lighted up with more than three 
hundred lamps. Then you will see three doors; open them all, 
the key is in each lock. In the first room you will see a large 

149 



150 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


chest in the middle of the floor ; on this chest sits a dog, with eyes 
as big as saucers. Don’t mind him in the least. I will give you my 
blue-checked apron, and you can spread it out upon the floor; 
then go up quickly and pick up the dog. Set him on my apron, 
open the chest, and take as much copper money as you like. If 
you prefer silver, you must go into the second room; there sits 
a dog with a pair of eyes as big as mill-wheels. You need not 
fear him, however. Set him upon my apron, and take some of the 
money. If you want gold, you can have that too — as much as you 
can carry — by going into the third room. But the dog that sits 
on the money-chest there has two eyes as big as steeples. He is a 
fierce dog, to be sure; but you need not care about that. Set 
him on my apron, and he won’t hurt you; then take out of the 
chest as much gold as you like.” 

“But what am I to give you, old witch, for you will want 
something, too, I suppose?” 

“No,” replied the witch, “not a single penny. You need 
only bring me an old Tinder-box which my grandmother forgot 
when she was down there last.” 

“Well, then, tie the rope round my waist,” said the soldier. 

“Here it is,” said the witch, “and here is my blue-checked 
apron.” 

The soldier climbed up into the tree, let himself down 
through the hole, and stood, as the witch had said, in the great 
hall where over three hundred lamps were burning. 

He opened the first door. Ugh! there sat the dog with eyes 
as big as saucers, staring at him. 

“You’re a fine fellow!” exclaimed the soldier; and he set him 
on the witch’s apron, and took as many coppers as his pockets 
would hold. Then he locked the chest, put the dog back on it 
again, and went into the second chamber. Aha ! there sat the dog 
with the eyes as big as mill-wheels. 


THE TINDER BOX 


151 


“You should not stare so hard at me,” said the soldier; “your 
eyes might pop out of your head.” He set the dog upon th2 
witch’s apron, and when he saw the many silver coins in the 
chest, he threw away all the coppers he had, and filled his pockets 
and his knapsack with silver. 

Then he went into the third room. Oh, that was terrible! 
The dog in there really had two eyes as big as steeples, and they 
both spun round like wheels. 

“Good evening!” said the soldier, and touched his cap, for 
he had never seen such a dog before. He lifted him down on to 
the floor, and opened the chest. Good gracious! what a heap of 
gold! 

The soldier threw away all the silver coins and filled all his 
pockets, his knapsack, his boots, and his cap with gold. Then he 
put the dog on the chest, slammed the door, and called out through 
the tree, “Now pull me up, old witch.” 

“Have you the tinder-box’?’ asked the witch. 

“No!” exclaimed the soldier, “I have forgotten it.” 

And he went and fetched it. 

The witch pulled him up, and he stood on the high-road again, 
with pockets, boots, knapsack, and a cap full of golden coins. 

“What are you going to do with the tinder-box?” he asked. 

“That has nothing to do with you,” replied the witch. “You 
have your money — give me the tinder-box.” 

“What’s that you say?” cried the soldier. “Tell me at once 
what you are going to do with it, or I will draw my sword and 
cut off your head!” 

“I won’t!” said the witch. 

So the soldier cut off her head. There she lay! Then he 
tied up all his money in her apron, slung it on his back like a 
bundle, put the tinder-box in his pocket, and went off to the town. 


152 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


It was a splendid town! The soldier went into one of the 
best hotels and engaged the finest room. The next day he ordered 
boots and handsome new clothes, for the soldier had now become 
a fine gentleman. The people told him of all the splendor in their 
city, and about the king, and what a beautiful princess the king’s 
daughter was. 

“Where is she to be seen?” asked the soldier. 

“She is not to be seen at all,” they all said; “she lives in a 
great copper castle, surrounded by many walls and towers. No 
one but the king may visit the castle, for it has been prophesied 
that she will marry a common soldier, and the king will not hear 
of this.” 

“I should like to see her,” thought the soldier; but he was 
unable to get permission. 

He now lived merrily, went to the theatres, drove in the 
king’s garden, and gave large sums of money to the poor. But 
as he spent money every day and never earned any, he had at last 
only a few cents left; and he was now obliged to move away from 
the fine rooms in which he had dwelt, and live in a little garret 
just under the roof. None of his friends came to see him, for 
there were too many stairs to climb. 

One evening it was quite dark, and he could not even buy 
himself a candle; but it occurred to him that there was a candle- 
stump in the tinder-box which he had brought up out of the hol- 
low tree. He opened the tinder-box and took out the bit of 
candle ; but as soon as he struck a light and the sparks flew from 
the flint, the door sprang open, and the dog with eyes as big as 
saucers stood before him, and said — 

“What does my lord order?” 

“What?” exclaimed the soldier. “This is a famous tinder- 
box indeed, if it can get me anything I want! Bring me some 
money!” said he to the dog; and whisk! the dog was gone, and 


THE TINDER BOX 


153 


whisk! he was back again, with a big bag full of coppers in his 
mouth. 

Now the soldier knew what a splendid tinder-box it was. If 
he struck it once, in came the dog who sat upon the chest of cop- 
per money ; if he struck it twice, in came the dog who had the silver 
coins ; and if he struck it three times, in came the dog who had the 
gold. 

So the soldier moved back into the fine rooms, appeared in 
handsome clothes, and all his friends knew him again, and liked 
him very much indeed. 

One day he began to think what a singular thing it was that 
nobody could get to see the princess. 

as there no way I can get to see her?” he thought. “Ah — 
where is my tinder-box?” So he struck a light, and whisk! came 
the dog with eyes as big as saucers. 

“I know it is the middle of the night,” said the soldier, “hut 
I should very much like to see the princess, if only for a moment.” 

The dog was outside the door at once, and, before the soldier 
had time to think, he was back again with the princess. She lay 
asleep on the dog’s back, and was so beautiful that every one could 
see that she was a real princess. The soldier could not help kissing 
her. Then the dog ran back with the princess. 

But next morning when the king and queen were at break- 
fast, the princess said she had dreamed a wonderful dream dur- 
ing the night. She had ridden upon a dog’s back and had been 
kissed by a soldier. 

“Well, that is a fine story,” said the queen. And one of the 
maids-of-honor was ordered to watch the next night by ? lie 
princess’ bed, to discover whether this was really a dream, or what 
else it might be. 

The soldier had a great longing to see the lovely princess 
again; so the dog came in the night, took her away, and ran as 


154 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


fast as he could. But the maid-of -honor put on rubbers and ran 
after him. AVhen she saw the dog disappear into a great house, 
she drew a big cross on the door, with a piece of chalk. 

Then she went home and got into bed, and the dog soon 
came back with the princess. But when he saw that there was a 
cross drawn on the door where the soldier lived, he took a piece 
of chalk and drew crosses on all the doors in the town. 

In the early morning the king and queen came with the 
maid-of -honor and all the officers of the court, to see where the 
princess had been. 

“Here it is!” said the king, when he saw the first door with a 
cross upon it. 

“No, my dear husband, it is here!” said the queen, who saw 
another door with a cross on it. 

“But here is one, and there is another!” they all cried, for 
wherever they looked there were crosses on the doors. So they 
saw at once that it would be useless to continue the search. 

Now, the queen was a very clever woman, who could do more 
than ride in a carriage. She took her gold scissors, cut a big piece 
of silk, and made a neat little hag; this she filled with flour and 
tied it on the princess’ back; and when that was done, she cut a 
little hole in the bag, so that the grain would be scattered wher- 
ever the princess went. 

That night the dog went again to the castle, took the princess 
on its back, and ran with her to the soldier, who loved her very 
much, and who wished he was a prince, so that he could make her 
his wife. The dog did not notice how the flour was scattered the 
whole way from the castle to the soldier’s room. 

In the morning the king and the queen easily discovered 
where their daughter had been, and they took the soldier and put 
him in prison. 

All day long he sat there and the people said, “Tomorrow, 


THE TINDER BOX 


155 


you will be hanged.” He had left his tinder-box in his lodgings 
and could do nothing. 

As he sat waiting for them to come after him one morning, 
he saw a shoemaker’s hoy running with all his might. 

“Hey, you, don’t be in such a hurry,” the soldier shouted. 
“If you run over to my house and get my tinder-box, I’ll give 
you two pence. So hurry along.” 

Outside the city, the gallows were erected, and all around 
stood thousands of people waiting for the execution. As the 
soldier stood at the top of the ladder, he asked as his last request 
to be permitted to smoke a pipe. 

When the permission was given he struck the tinder-box, 
once, twice, thrice! and there stood the three dogs looking their 
fiercest. 

“Now, help me and do not let me hang!” cried the soldier, 
and the dogs immediately rushed among the crowd, and threw 
the people into confusion. 

They fell upon all the judges and the whole of the council, 
seized one by the legs, and another by the nose, and tossed them 
all yards into the air, so that they fell down, and were dashed 
to pieces. 

The biggest dog took both the king and the queen, and threw 
them after the others. Then the soldiers were frightened, and 
all the people cried, “Noble soldier, you shall be our king, and 
marry the beautiful princess!” 

So they put the soldier into the king’s coach, and all the 
three dogs danced in front, and cried, “Hurrah!” and the boys 
whistled through their fingers, and the soldiers presented arms. 
The princess was set free from the copper castle, and became 
queen, which pleased her indeed. 

The wedding festivities lasted eight days, and the dogs sat 
at the table too, and stared with all their might. 


Old Sultan 


A CERTAIN peasant had a trusty dog called Sultan, who 
had grown quite old in his service, and had lost all his teeth, 
so that he could not hold anything fast. One day the peasant 
stood with his ^ wife at the house-door, and said, “This morning 
I shall shoot old Sultan, for he is no longer of any use.” His 
wife, however, pitying the poor animal, replied, “Well, since he 
has served us so long and so faithfully, I think we may very well 
afford him food for the rest of his life.” “Eh, what?” replied 
her husband, “you are not very clever; he has not a tooth in his 
head, and never a thief is afraid of him, so he must trot off. If 
he has served us, he has also received every day his dinner.” 

The poor dog, lying stretched out in the sun not far from 
his master, heard all he said, and was much troubled at learning 
that the morrow would be his last day. He had one good friend, 
the wolf in the forest, and he visited him that evening, and com- 
plained of the sad fate which awaited him, “Be of good cour- 


OLD SULTAN 


157 


age, my friend,” said the wolf ; “I will help you out of your 
trouble. I have just thought of something. Early tomorrow 
morning your master goes haymaking with his wife, and they 
will take with them their child, because no one will be left in the 
house. And while they are at work they will put him behind the 
hedge in the shade, and set you by to watch him. I will then 
spring out of the wood and steal away the child, and you must 
run after me hotly as if you were pursuing me. I will let it fall, 
and you shall take it back to its parents, who will then believe 
you have saved it, and they will be too thankful to do you any 
injury; and so you will come into great favor, and they will 
never let you want again.” 

This plan pleased the dog, and it was carried out exactly as 
proposed. The father cried when he saw the wolf running off 
with the child, but as old Sultan brought it back he was highly 
pleased, and stroked him, and said, “Not a hair of your head 
shall be touched ; you shall eat your meals in comfort to the end 
of your days.” He then told his wife to go home and cook old 
Sultan some bread and broth, which would not need biting, and 
also to bring the pillow out of his bed, that he might give it to 
him for a resting place. 

And so old Sultan lived on in comfort for many long years. 



Jorinda and Jorindel 

O NCE upon a time, in a castle in the midst of a large thick 
wood, there lived an old witch all by herself. By day she 
changed herself into a cat or an owl; but in the evening she re- 
sumed her right form. She was able also to allure to her the 
wild animals and birds which she killed, cooked, and ate, for 
whatever ventured within a hundred steps of her castle was 
obliged to stand still, and could not stir from the spot until she 
allowed it; but if a pretty maiden came into the circle the witch 
changed her into a bird, and then put her into a cage which she 
carried into one of the rooms in the castle ; and in this room were 
already many thousand such cages of rare birds. 

Now, there was a young maiden called Jorinda, who was 
exceedingly pretty, and she was betrothed to a youth named 

158 


JORINDA AND JORINDEL 


159 


Jorindel. One day they went into the forest for a walk, and 
Jorindel said, “take care that we do not go too near the castle.” 

It was a beautiful day; the sun shone between the branches 
of the trees, and brightened up the dark green leaves, and they 
walked on without realizing where they were going. Suddenly 
they looked around and saw how far they had wandered. There 
was no longer any house in sight. 

The sun was now half way above the hills and half below. 
Jorindel looked through the brushwood and saw the walls of 
the old castle close by them, which frightened him so terribly 
that he fell off his seat. Then Jorinda sang — 

“My little bird, with his ring so red, 

Sings sorrow, and sorrow and woe; 

For he sings that the turtle-dove soon will be dead, 

Oh sorrow, and sorrow — jug, jug, jug.” 

Jorindel lifted up his head, and saw Jorinda was changed 
into a nightingale, which was singing, “Jug, jug, jug,” and 
presently an owl flew round thrice, with its eyes glistening, and 
crying, “Tu wit, tu woo.” 

J orindel could not stir ; there he stood like a stone, and could 
not weep, nor speak, nor move hand or foot. Meanwhile the sun 
set, the owl flew into a bush. Out came an ugly old woman. She 
was thin and yellow, with great red eyes, and a crooked nose which 
reached down to her chin. She muttered, and seized the nightin- 
gale, and carried it away in her hand, while Jorindel remained 
there incapable of interfering. At last the witch re- 
turned, and said, in a hollow voice, “Greet you, Zachiel! if the 
moon shiries on your side, release this one at once.” Then 
Jorindel became free, and fell down on his knees before the witch, 
and begged her to give him hack Jorinda, hut she refused, and 
said he should never again have her, and went away. He cried, 


160 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


and wept, and groaned after her, but all to no purpose ; at length 
he rose and went to a strange village, where for some time he 
tended sheep. He often went round about the enchanted castle, 
hut never too near, and one night, after so walking, he dreamt 
that he found a blood-red flower, in the middle of which lay a 
fine pearl. This flower, he thought, he broke off, and, going 
therewith to the castle, all he touched with it was free from en- 
chantment, and thus he regained his Jorinda. 

When he awoke next morning he began his search over hill 
and valley to find such a flower. At length, early one morning 
he discovered it, and in its center was a large dewdrop, like a 
beautiful pearl. Then he carried the flower day and night, till 
he came to the castle; and, although he ventured within the en- 
chanted circle he was not stopped, hut walked on quite to the door. 
Jorindel was now in high spirits, and touching the door with his 
flower it flew open. He entered, and passed through the hall, 
listening for the sound of the birds, which at last he heard. He 
found the room, and went in, and there was the witch feeding the 
birds in the seven thousand baskets. As soon as she saw Jorindel 
she became frightfully enraged, but owing to his red flower 
she dared not come too close. He would not turn back for 
her, but looked at the baskets of birds ; but, alas ! there were many 
hundreds of nightingales, and how was he to know his Jorinda? 
While he was examining them he perceived the old woman 
cautiously take away one of the baskets, and slip out of the 
door. Jorindel flew after her, and touched the basket with his 
flower, and also the old woman, so that she could no longer be- 
witch any one. All at once Jorinda stood before him, and fell 
upon his neck, as beautiful as she ever was. Afterwards he dis- 
enchanted all the other birds, and then returned home with his 
Jorinda and for many years they lived together happily and 
contentedly. 




THE ENCHANTMENT ENDED, THE PRINCESS AWOKE 




Sleeping Beauty 


N CE upon a time there was a king and queen who were very 



sad because they had no children. But at last the queen 
gave birth to a daughter. The king was so overjoyed that he 
ordered a splendid christening feast and invited all the great 
people of the land. Instead of asking any persons of royal blood 
to act as god-mothers, he decided to have seven fairies. He knew 
this w r ould flatter the fairies, and that they would bestow won- 
derful gifts on the child. 

But the unfortunate king had forgotten to invite one old 
fairy. She heard of the christening, however, and came any- 


,161 


162 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


way. Of course, they had to appear glad to see her, and had to 
spread a place for her at the table. But one of the young fairies 
knew how wicked the old fairy was, and feared she might wish 
some evil on the baby. So she slipped away and hid behind the 
curtains, before anyone missed her. She wanted to keep her wish 
till the last, so that she could undo any harm the old fairy might 
try to work. 

The fairies now began to bestow their gifts upon the baby. 
One fairy said: “She shall he the most beautiful person in the 
world.” The second said: “She shall he as pure and good as an 
angel.” The third said: “She shall he as graceful as a bird.” 
The fourth said: “She shall dance like a fairy.” The fifth said: 
“She shall sing like a nightingale, and the sixth said: “She shall 
play beautifully on every kind of an instrument.” 

The old old fairy waited till she thought the last wish was 
made, then she muttered: “Your fine gifts won’t do the princess 
any good, for she is doomed to prick her hand with a spindle 
and die from the wound.” 

The queen began to weep and the whole company was upset, 
when suddenly the good young fairy who had been in hiding, 
rushed forward and said: “Do not grieve, your child shall not die. 
I cannot entirely undo what the wicked fairy has done. It is true 
the princess will pierce her hand with a spindle, hut instead of 
dying, she will only fall into a deep sleep which will last a hundred 
years. At the end of that time a king’s son will come and 
wake her.” 

The king decided to take no chances on having his daughter 
prick her finger, so he immediately commanded that all the 
spinning wheels in the land he destroyed. Anybody found with 
one in his house would he instantly put to death. 

And so the princess grew up to he a young lady. She was 


SLEEPING BEAUTY 


163 


more beautiful and accomplished than anyone else in the land. One 
day her parents took her to visit one of their old castles that they 
seldom lived in, as it was far out in the country. The princess 
was delighted and ran from room to room ; she climbed to a high 
tower so as to get a good view of the kingdom. At the very top 
she came to a little room, and there sat an old woman spinning. 

Now, this old lady had never heard about the king’s forbid- 
ding people to spin, so when the princess saw the wheel go buzzing 
around and wanted to try her hand at it, the old woman willing- 
ly let her. No sooner had the beautiful maiden taken up the 
spindle, than she pierced her finger with the point and fainted 
away. The old woman, in great alarm, called for help, and soon 
the king and his followers came running up. They did all they 
could to restore the princess, but nothing could bring her too. 
As soon as the king heard that she had touched the spindle, he 
remembered what the wicked fairy had said at the christening. 
So he ordered the princess to be carried down stairs and laid upon 
a richly embroidered bed. Then he sent for the fairy who had 
said that the princess would sleep a hundred years. When she 
came, she reassured the king and queen and told them to go back 
to their city castle and that she would guard the sleeping 
princess. 

Now this fairy was very thoughtful and knew that it would 
be a dreadful shock for the princess to wake up at the end of 
a hundred years and find herself all alone in the castle. So as 
soon as the king and queen were gone, she touched everyone in 
the castle with her wand, and they all fell asleep, not to wake till 
their mistress did. Then as the fairy left, she touched the ground 
around the castle and immediately a woods, so thick and so filled 
with thorns, surrounded the palace, that no one could get in. 
It grew so high that everything but the turrets of the castle were 
hidden from view. 


164 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


A hundred years went by, and during that time the king- 
dom had fallen into the hands of another royal family. One 
day the king’s son was hunting, when he saw the towers of the 
enchanted castle in the distance. As he rode toward it he asked 
everyone he met what castle it was. But no one knew any- 
thing about it. Finally he came to a very old peasant woman 
who said: 

“Prince, fifty years ago I heard my father tell that there was 
a great castle behind that thick wood, and in it there slept the 
most beautiful princess in the world. She was to sleep a hundred 
years and then along would come a prince who would not only 
waken her but marry her.” 

On hearing this the king’s son was greatly excited. Sup- 
pose the hundred years should be up and he were the prince ! He 
bade his courtiers follow him and he galloped toward the castle 
Scarcely had he come to the woods, when a narrow path opened 
for him. He passed in and then turned around to look for 
his followers, but he was alone. The woods had closed instantly 
as soon as he had entered. He made his way toward the great 
marble staircase and entered the castle. There he stood still in 
amazement, for all around him were stretched the bodies of men 
who seemed to be sleeping. He passed through room after room, 
where there were ladies and gentlemen asleep in their chairs. 
At last he came to a gorgeous room whose walls were lined with 
golden tapestries. On the richly embroidered bed lay the 
princess, and as the king’s son crept closer he thought she was 
truly the handsomest person he had ever seen. He was so moved 
by her dazzling beauty that lie could not resist kissing her. At 
that moment, the enchantment being ended, the princess awoke, 
and looking tenderly at the young man, said: 

“I’m so glad you have come, my prince. I have waited so 
long for you.” 


SLEEPING BEAUTY 


165 


The prince, on hearing these words, was overjoyed. He told 
her that he loved her and that he wanted to marry her. So they 
talked and talked, forgetting all else but their happiness in find- 
ing each other. 

In the meantime, everyone else in the palace had awakened, 
and there was much hurrying to and fro. A great feast was 
soon prepared, and the prince led Sleeping Beauty to the table, 
while the violins played sweet music. After the dinner was over 
the happy lovers were married by the bishop, in the chapel of the 
castle. 

Next day the prince led his bride to his own home. They 
were followed by all the retinue of the princess. When they 
came to the thick woods, it opened to let them all pass out. The 
jjrince’s followers were still waiting for him outside, and were 
overjoyed to see him again. They galloped away, and as they 
rode along, they turned to give one last look at the enchanted 
castle, but lo ! it had suddenly disappeared, and the woods with it. 
Nothing could be seen but a barren plain. 

The prince’s father and mother received the beautiful 
princess with open arms, and upon the death of the king and 
queen, the young people reigned happily in their stead. 


The Robber Bride-Groom 

T HERE was once a miller who had a beautiful daughter, 
whom he much wished to see well married. Not long after 
there came a man who appeared very rich, and the miller, not 
knowing anything to his dis- 
advantage, promised his 
daughter to him. The maid- 
en, however, did not take a 
fancy to the suitor; she had 
no confidence in him. Once 
he said to her, “Next Sun- 
day you must come and visit 
me; I have already invited 
guests and, in order that you 
may find your way through 
the forest, I will strew the 
path with ashes.” 

When Sunday came, 
the maiden prepared to set 
out; but she felt very anxi- 
ous, and knew not why and, 
in order that she might know her way back, she filled her pockets 
with beans and peas. These she threw to the right and left of 
the path of ashes, which she followed till it led her into the 
thickest part of the forest; there she came to a solitary house, 
which looked so gloomy and desolate that she felt quite miserable. 
She went in, but no one was there, and the most profound quiet 
reigned throughout. Suddenly a voice sang — 



166 


THE ROBBER BRIDEGROOM 


167 


“Return, fair maid, return to your home; 

’Tis to a murderer’s den you’ve come.” 

The maiden looked around, and perceived that it was a bird 
in a cage against the wall which sang the words. 

She went from one room to the other, through the whole 
house, but all were empty. At last she went into the cellar, and 
there sat a withered old woman, shaking her head. “Can you 
tell me,” asked the maiden, “whether my bridegroom lives in 
this house?” 

“Ah, poor girl,” said the old woman, “you are in a mur- 
derer’s den. If I do not have compassion and save you, you are 
lost.” 

So saying, the old woman led her behind a great cask, where 
no one could see her. “Be as still as a mouse,” said she, “and don’t 
move hand or foot, or all is lost. At night, when the robbers are 
asleep, we will escape.” She had scarcely finished speaking 
when the wicked band returned, dragging with them a poor girl, 
to whose shrieks and cries they paid no attention. They gave 
her much wine to drink, and at last she fell down in a swoon. 
Meanwhile the poor bride behind the cask trembled and shuddered 
to see what a fate would have been hers. Presently one of the 
robbers noticed a gold ring on the finger of the girl, and, as he 
could not draw it off easily, he took a hatchet and chopped off the 
finger. But the finger, with the force of the blow, flew up and 
fell behind the cask, right into the lap of the bride; and the rob- 
ber taking a light, went to seek it, hut could not find it. Then 
one of the others asked, “Have you looked behind the cask?” 

“Oh! do come and eat,” cried the old woman in a fright; 
“come and eat, and leave your search till the morning; the finger 
will not run away.” 


168 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


“The old woman is right,” said the robbers, and they sat down 
to their meal ; and the old woman mixed with their drink a sleep- 
ing draught, so that presently they lay down to sleep on the floor 
and snored away. As soon as they were sound asleep the old 
woman and the bride-to-be stole out of the murderers’ den. The 
wind had blown away the ashes, but the beans and peas had 
sprouted up, and now showed the path in the moonlight. All 
night long they walked on, and by sunrise they came to the mill, 
and the poor girl narrated her adventures to her father the miller. 

Now, when the day came that the wedding was to be cele- 
brated, the bridegroom appeared, and the miller gathered to- 
gether all his relations and friends. While they sat at a table 
each kept telling some tale, but the bride sat silent, listening. 
Presently the bridegroom said, “Can you not tell us something, 
my heart; do you not know anything to tell?” 

“Yes,” she replied, “I will tell you a dream of mine. I 
thought I went through a wood, and by-and-by I arrived at a 
house wherein there was not a human being, but on the wall there 
hung a bird in a cage, which sang — 

‘Return, fair maid, return to your home ; 

’Tis to a murderer’s den you’ve come.’ 

Then I went through all the rooms, and every one was empty 
and desolate, and at last I stepped down into the cellar, and there 
sat a very old woman, shaking her head from side to side. I asked 
her, ‘Does my bride-groom dwell in this house?’ and she replied, 
"Ah, dear child, you have fallen into a murderer’s den; thy lover 
does dwell here, but he will kill you.’ Then I thought that the 
old woman hid me behind a great cask, and scarcely had she done 
so when the robbers came home, dragging a maiden with them, 
to whom they gave three glasses of wine, and at the third her heart 


THE ROBBER BRIDEGROOM 


169 


snapped. Then one of the robbers saw a gold ring on her finger, 
and because he could not draw it off he took up a hatchet and 
hewed at it, and the finger flew up, and fell behind the cask into 
my lap. And there is the finger with the ring!” 

With these words she threw it down before him, and showed 
it to all present. 

The robber, who during her story had become pale as death, 
now sprang up, and would have escaped ; hut the guests held him, 
and delivered him up to the judges. 

And soon afterwards he and his whole band were condemned 
to death for their wicked deeds. 



The Spindle, Shuttle and Needle 

T HERE was once a little girl who lived at the far end of 
a village with her godmother who earned her living by spin- 
ning, weaving nd sewing. 

The child grew up to he very industrious and pious. When 
she was about fifteen the godmother died and left her the cottage, 
her s|) indie, shuttle and needle. 

The little girl lived on alone in the cottage, earnestly work- 
ing from day to day. It seemed as if everything she did pros- 
pered. Even the flax in her room increased by itself. When- 

170 


SPINDLE , SHUTTLE AND NEEDLE 


171 


ever she wove a piece of cloth or tapestry, or hemmed a shirt, she 
always found a purchaser who paid her so well that she had plenty 
for herself and could spare a little for others who were poorer. 

Now, about this time the king’s son was looking about him 
for a bride. He was not allowed to marry a poor wife, and he 
would not have a rich one. So he said, “She shall be my bride 
who is at once the richest and the poorest.” When he came to 
the village where the maiden dwelt, he asked, who was the rich- 
est and poorest maiden in the place. The people first named the 
richest, and then told him that the poorest was the maiden who 
dwelt in the cottage at the end of the village. The young prince 
therefore went first to the rich maiden, and found her sitting be- 
fore her door in full dress ; but as soon as she saw him approach- 
ing she went out and bowed before him in a most courtly manner. 
The prince looked at her, but said not a word, and rode on with- 
out stopping till he arrived at the house of the poor maiden. 

She, however, was not seated at the door, but in her own 
little room busily at work. The prince drew rein, alighted from 
his horse, and peeped into the neat apartment. Just at that 
moment a ray of sunshine darted through the window, and lighted 
up everything within, so that he could see the maiden spinning 
at her wheel with the utmost diligence. 

Presently she glanced up, and seeing a noble-looking gentle- 
man looking at her through the window, she cast down her eyes 
and continued her spinning till the prince remounted his horse 
and rode away. 

Then she rose and opened the window, saying to herself: 
“How very warm the room is today.” But she looked out and 
watched the stranger till she could not longer distinguish the 
white plume in his hat, and not till after he was quite out of sight 
did she return to her spinning-wheel and work as busily as ever. 


172 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


Her thoughts were now on the handsome prince, although 
she knew not who he was ; still it was such an unusual event for a 
gentleman to look in at the window of her lonely cottage that she 
could not forget it. 

At last strange ideas came into her head, and she began to 
sing some curious words which her old godmother had taught 
her, — 

“Spindle, spindle, out with you, 

And bring a wooer home.” 

To her astonishment the spindle leaped from her hands and 
rushed out of the house. She followed to the door, and stood 
looking after it with wondering eyes, for it was running and 
dancing quite merrily across the field, trailing behind it a bright 
golden thread, and presently it was lost to her eyes. 

Having no longer a spindle, she took up her shuttle, seated 
herself, and commenced weaving. The spindle, meanwhile, kept 
on its way, and just as the thread came to an end, it overtook 
the prince. 

“What do I see’?’ he cried. “The thread behind this spindle 
will lead me to good fortune, no doubt.” So he turned his horse 
and rode back in the trail of the golden thread. 

The maiden, who still worked on, thought presently of an- 
other of the rhymes taught her by the old woman, so she sang,— 

“Shuttle, shuttle, out with you, 

And bring a wooer home.” 

Instantly the shuttle slipped from her hand, and ran to the 
door, but on the door-sill it stopped and began to weave the most 
beautiful carpet ever seen. 

The maiden then sang, — 


SPINDLE , SHUTTLE AND NEEDLE 


173 



“Needle, needle, sharp and fine, 

Fit the house for wooer mine.” 

As soon as she said this the needle sprang from her fingers, 
and flew about the room as quick as lightning. It was just as if 
a number of invisible spirits were at work, for the table and 
benches were quickly covered with green cloth, the chairs with 
velvet, and curtains were hung to the windows and on the walls 
of silk damask. 

Scarcely had the needle finished the last stitch than the 
maiden saw through the window the white plume on the prince’s 
hat, for he had followed carefully the golden thread till it reached 
her cottage. 

He alighted from his horse, and quickly stejDped in upon 
the beautiful carpet; when he entered the room, he saw the 


174 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


maiden, who even in her homely dress, looked blooming and love- 
ly as a wild rose. 

“You are exactly what I seek,” he said; “at once the poorest 
and the richest maiden in the world. Will you come with me 
and be my bride?” 

She said nothing, hut held out her hand, which the prince 
took, and giving her a kiss, he led her out of the cottage and 
seated her behind him on his horse. He took her to the king’s 
castle, where the wedding was performed with great mag- 
nificence, and afterwards the spindle, the shuttle, and the needle 
were placed in the treasure-chamber and held in great esteem. 





A X old queen, who ruled over a very rich country, had 
a beautiful daughter. When she grew up she was betrothed 
to a prince who lived in a far country. As the time drew near 
for her to be married, her mother packed up a great many cost- 
ly things — jewels, fine dresses and gold and silver trinkets. She 
gave her a waiting-maid to ride with her to the prince’s kingdom. 

Just before the time came for them to set out, the old queen 
went into her bed-chamber and cut off a little lock of her own 
hair. This she gave to the princess, saying: “Take care of this, 
my dear, for it is a charm that may be of use to you on the road.” 
The princess and her maid then mounted their horses and started 
off. Now the princess’ horse was named Falada and strange 
to say, he could speak. 


175 


176 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


They rode on and on and when they came to a brook the 
princess said to her maid : “Pray get down and get me some water 
in my golden cup from yonder brook.” 

“Nay,” said the maid, “if you are thirsty, get down yourself. 
I will not be your waiting-maid any longer.” 

Now the princess was very gentle, so she said nothing, but 
got down from her horse and drank from the brook. But as she 
leaned over she wept and said: “Alas, what will become of me?” 
And the lock of hair answered : 

“Alas! alas! if thy mother knew it, 

Sadly, sadly her heart would rue it.” 

Then the princess mounted her horse again, and they rode 
on. Several hours later they came to a river, and the princess, 
forgetting her maid’s rude speech, said: “Pray get down and 
fetch me a drink from the river.” 

“Drink if you will,” replied the maid, haughtily, “but I will 
not be your servant.” 

The princess was so thirsty that she dismounted and leaned 
over the water to drink. In doing so the lock of hair fell from 
her bosom and floated away with the stream, without her seeing 
it. But the waiting-maid had seen it disappear and was very 
glad, for she knew it possessed a charm. “I shall have the 
princess in my power,” said she to herself, “now that she has 
lost the lock of hair that the queen gave her.” 

So when the bride came to mount her horse again, the maid 
said: “I shall ride upon Falada, and you may have my horse in- 
stead.” The poor princess was forced to give up her horse, and 
soon afterwards to take off her royal clothes, and put on the 
maid’s shabby ones. 

At last as they drew near the end of their journey, this 
wicked servant threatened to kill her mistress if she ever told 



SHE BRAIDED HER HAIR WHICH WAS OF PURE GOLD 









































* 





















* 









































THE GOOSE GIRL 


111 


anyone what had happened. But Falada — the horse — had 
noticed everything. 

When they came to the royal court there was great rejoicing. 
The young prince lifted the servant off her horse, supposing that 
she was the true bride ; and she was led up the steps in state, while 
the real princess had to stay below. 

Just then the old king chanced to look out of his window, 
and saw her standing in the court, and he remarked how delicate 
and beautiful she was ; and, going to the royal apartments, he in- 
quired there of the bride who it was she had brought with her, and 
left below in the courtyard. 

“Only a girl whom I brought with me for company/’ said 
the bride. “Give the wench some work to do, that she may not 
grow idle.” 

The old king, however, had no work for her, and knew of 
nothing, until at last he said, “Ah! there is a boy who keeps the 
geese; she can help him.” This youth was called Conrad, and the 
true bride was set to keep geese with him. 

Soon after this, the false bride said to her betrothed, “Dear- 
est, will you grant me a favor?” “Yes,” said he, “with the great- 
est pleasure.” “Then cut off the head of the horse on which I 
rode hither, for it angered me on the way.” In reality she feared 
lest the horse might tell how she had used the rightful princess, 
and she was glad when it was decided that F alada should die. 

This came to the ears of the real princess, and she promised 
to give the man who was to kill the horse a piece of gold if he 
would nail the head of Falada over a certain large and gloomy 
arch, through which she had to pass daily with the geese, so that 
she still might see her old steed. The man promised, and, after 
killing the horse, nailed the head in the place which was pointed 
out. over the door of the arch. 


178 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


Early in the morning, when she and Conrad drove the geese 
through the arch, she said in passing, — 

“Ah, Falada, that you should hang there!” 
and the head replied, — 

“Ah, princess, that you should pass here! 

If thy mother knew thy fate, 

Then her heart would surely break!” 

Then she drove on through the town to a field ; and when they 
arrived on the meadow, she sat down and unloosened her hair, 
which was of pure gold; and its shining appearance so charmed 
Conrad that he endeavored to pull out a couple of locks. So she 
sang, — 

“Blow, blow, thou wind, 

Blow Conrad’s hat away; 

Its rolling do not stay 
Till I have combed my hair, 

And tied it up behind.” 

Immediately there came a strong wind, which took Conrad’s 
hat quite off his head, and led him a rare dance all over the 
meadows. When he returned the princess had rearranged her 
hair, so that he could not catch a loose lock. This made Conrad 
very angry, and he would not speak to her all day. 

As soon as they returned home Conrad went to the old king, 
and told him all that had happened during the day. 

The king was greatly surprised. Next day he stationed 
himself behind the archway and heard the goose-girl talk to the 
head of Falada. Then he followed them into the fields and hid 
behind a bush. The maiden again let down her beauitful hair, 
and when Conrad tried to touch it the king heard her sing the very 


THE GOOSE GIRL 


179 


rhyme that Conrad had told him about, and later saw his hat 
blow away. 

The king went back to his palace and that night he called 
the maiden to him and asked her what it all meant. But she 
burst into tears and said: “I dare not tell you or any living be- 
ing or I shall lose my life.” 

But the old king begged so hard and was so kind to her that 
she finally told him everything. 

When he had heard the story he ordered royal clothes to be 
put upon her and called the prince to look upon his true bride. 
The prince rejoiced when he saw how beautiful she was, and 
when he heard how meek and patient she had been. 

Without saying anything to the false bride a great feast was 
ordered for all the court. 

On a raised platform sat the bridegroom, with the real prin- 
cess on one side and the servant-girl on the other. But the latter 
was dazzled, and recognized her mistress no longer in her shining 
dress. When they had finished their feasting, and were be- 
ginning to he gay, the old king set a riddle to the servant-girl: 
“What should be done to a person who deceived her masters?” 
He then related all that had happened to the true bride. The 
servant-girl replied, “Such a one deserves nothing better than to 
he put in a cask, stuck all round with sharp nails, and then by two 
horses to be dragged through street after street till the wretch 
he killed.” 

“You are the woman, then!” exclaimed the king; “you have 
proclaimed your own punishment, and it shall be strictly ful- 
filled.” 

The sentence was immediately carried into effect, and after- 
wards the young king married his rightful bride, and together 
they ruled their kingdom long in peace and happiness. 



The Three Bears 

1 ITTLE Goldi-Locks was a pretty little girl with beautiful 
-J long blond curls. She was full of life and fun and romped 
the whole day long. As soon as school was over she would rush 
into the house, throw her books on the table and then skip off to 
play, and her mother would not know where she was till supper- 
time. 

Out beyond the village where little Goldi-Locks lived, was 
a dense woods, and one day she thought it would be fun to go out 
there and gather flowers. So off she ran, hippity-hop. The 


180 


THE THREE BEARS 


181 


woods were filled with all kinds of wild flowers, and she kept 
going farther and farther before she realized how far iaway 
from home she was. Suddenly she came to a little log cabin. 
She ran to the window and peeked in, but no one was home. 
She tried the door and it was unlocked, so in she went. She 
looked all around and wondered what kind of people lived in 
the funny little house. She never dreamed, of course, that it 
was the home of three bears. Just think how frightened she 
would have been, if she had known it. You see Father Bear, 
Mother Bear and Baby Bear were out taking a walk. That’s 
why the house was left alone. 

Goldi-Locks peeked into every room. Out in the kitchen 
were three bowls of porridge. The little girl was hungry so she 
tasted the largest bowl which belonged to the Big Bear. But 
the porridge was too hot, so she tried the middle-sized bowl, which 
belonged to the Middle-sized Bear, but it was too cold. When 
she came to the littlest bowl whic’h belonged to Little Bear, she 
found the porridge was just right, so she ate it all up. 

Next she wandered into the parlor, and there were three 
chairs. She tried the biggest chair, which belonged to Big Bear, 
but it was too high. Then she tried the middle-sized chair, which 
belonged to Mother Bear, but it was too broad. “Oh goody,” said 
she, as she sat in the littlest chair which belonged to Little Bear, 
“this chair just fits.” But she rocked so hard that she broke 
the little chair all to pieces. 

Then she scampered up stairs and peeked into the bed-room. 
There she saw three beds, all in a row. By this time she was be- 
ginning to feel pretty tired, so she lay down in the largest bed 
that belonged to Big Bear, but it was too hard. She climbed 
over into the middle-sized bed that belonged to Middle-sized Bear, 
but it was too soft, so last she tried the little bed that belonged 



THE THREE BEARS WATCH GOLDILOCKS RUN AWAY 




THE THREE BEARS 


183 


to Little Bear, and it was so comfortable she fell right off to 
sleep without knowing it. 

While Little Goldi-Locks was sleeping soundly up stairs, 
the three bears came home from their walk. They were very 
hungry, so they hurried out to the kitchen to eat their porridge. 
Suddenly Big Bear growled out: “Somebody has been tasting 
my porridge!” 

Then Middle-sized Bear looked into her bowl and cried out: 
“Somebody has been tasting my porridge!” and Little Bear 
screamed: “Somebody has been tasting my porridge and eaten 
it all up.” 

Then they went into the parlor, and Big Bear growled: 
“Somebody has been sitting in my chair!” afnd Middle-sized 
Bear growled: “Somebody has been sitting in my chair!” and 
Little Bear cried out : “Somebody has been sitting in my chair and 
has broken it all to pieces.” 

Next they went up stairs to the bed-room, and Big Bear 
growled: “Somebody has been tumbling my bed!” and Middle- 
sized Bear cried out: “Somebody has been tumbling my bed, 
too!” and Little Bear piped out: “Somebody has been tumbling 
my bed, and here she is!” 

This awakened little Goldi-Locks, and when she looked 
around and saw the three bears she was so terrified she jumped 
out of the nearest window and ran for home as fast as her legs 
would take her. After that she never went out into the woods 
alone again, for fear she would meet the Three Bears. 


Blue Beard 


HERE was once a fabulously rich man, but he was so ugly 



-L and ferocious looking that none of the young ladies in the 
town would have anything to do with him. He had a hideous 
blue beard and it was so strange to see anyone with that color of 
beard that he became known by the name “Blue Beard.” 

Now there was in the neighborhood an ambitious woman 
with two beautiful daughters. She knew that Blue Beard was 
very rich, and when she heard that he was thinking about getting 
married, she did all she could to get her daughters interested in 
him. But neither of them would accept his attentions on account 


184 


BLUE BEARD 


185 


of his dreadful blue beard. Moreover, it was learned that he had 
had several wives, though no one had ever heard what had be- 
come of them. 

In order to become better acquainted with the young ladies, 
Blue Beard invited them, their mother, and several of their best 
friends to visit his country place. For a week he entertained 
them lavishly with balls, dinners, and other sorts of merry-mak- 
ing. Before the week was over the younger daughter began to 
think their host was not such a disagreeable man after all, and 
that his beard didn’t look as blue as formerly. Before the sum- 
mer was over, she had married him 

For about a month everything went smoothly. He bought 
her gorgeous gowns and loaded her down with jewels. One 
day he told her that he was forced to leave her for six weeks as 
he had to make a business trip. “I do not want you to be lone- 
some, my love,” he said, “so you invite some of your girl friends 
to come and visit you during my absence. Here are the keys — 
this one is for the chest where the gold and silver plate are kept, 
this one will unlock the strong boxes where I keep my money, 
this opens the caskets that contain my jewels, and this is the pass- 
key to all the rooms. There is but one other key on the ring, and 
that is for the closet at the end of the long gallery on the lower 
floor. But that room you must not open. In fact, I forbid you 
to enter it. If you dare to do so against my wishes, you will re- 
gret it on my return.” 

He then bade his wife farewell and drove away in his golden 
coach. The bride’s young friends were very glad to visit at the 
wonderful palace, and examine all its treasures. They went 
eagerly from room to room, peeped into all the closets and store- 
rooms, and admired the rare tapestries that hung on the bed- 
room walls. They soon looked with envy upon the fortunate 


186 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


bride. She, too, enjoyed showing* them everything, but her 
jfieasure was somewhat spoiled by the thought of the secret room 
into which she dared not go. She kept wondering what it could 
contain. At length her curiosity became so great that she slipped 
away from her friends and hastened down a secret staircase. 
When she reached the door at the end of the corridor she hesitated 
a moment, but the temptation was too great. She picked out the 
forbidden key, put it in the lock and opened the door. Horrors ! 
What a dreadful sight met her eyes. Hanging on the walls were 
the dead bodies of Blue Beard’s former wives. On the floor were 
spots of blood. She was so terrified at the dreadful sight that 
she dropped the key which she had withdrawn from the lock on 
entering. Hardly knowing what she was doing she picked up the 
key, locked the door and rushed madly back to her own room. 
There she tried to wash off the blood that had stained the key 
when it fell. But alas, no amount of scouring and rubbing would 
take it off. It seemed as if it were an enchanted key for as soon 
as the blood was washed off on one side it would appear on the 
other side. 

Next morning Blue Beard returned unexpectedly. He ex- 
plained to his wife that he had received word on his journey that 
tiie business he was going to attend to had already been settled. 
“And now, my dear, where are the keys that I gave you?” 

His wife handed them to him, but as she did so her hand 
trembled. He looked them over, then said, “But where is the 
key to the closet at the end of the long gallery?” 

“Why, isn’t it there?” she asked. “I must have left it up 
on my table . 53 

“Then go and get it at once,” ordered Blue Beard. 

The poor wife tried to make excuses, but they were of no 
avail. She had to go and get the key. 


BLUE BE ABB 


187 


Blue Beard looked at it carefully and said: “There is blood 
on this key. Where did it come from?” 

“I do not know,” faltered the wife, pale as a ghost. 

“Indeed you do know, only too well. You were so anxious 
to enter the secret room that you shall now have a chance to take 
your place with the other ladies you saw in there.” So saying he 
drew his sword and raised it to strike. But his wife threw herself 
at his feet and begged for a few moments in which to say her 
last prayers. 

“Very well,” said Blue Beard, “I will give you a quarter of 
an hour, but not a minute more.” 

The poor girl rushed to her room and sent for her sister 
Anne — the only guest who had not left in a hurry when Blue 
Beard returned unexpectedly. 

Now, it happened that their two brothers had promised to 
come and visit the palace that very day. Of course, Blue Beard 
did not know of it or he would not have given his wife any time 
for prayers. 

“Sister Anne, if you love me, mount the tower as fast as you 
can and see if my brothers are coming in the distance. Signal 
them to make haste,” pleaded the wife. 

Every few moments the distracted bride called up to her 
sister: “Anne! Sister Anne! do you see anyone coming?” 

But alas, the sister could see nothing in the distance but a 
flock of sheep. In the meantime Blue Beard called up to his 
wife: “Come down or I will come up to you.” 

“One minute more,” she replied and then in a low voice, — 
“Anne! Sister Anne! Can you not see them coming?” 

“Yes, I see two horsemen riding this way, but they are a 
great way off.” As they came nearer Sister Anne cried: “They 
are my brothers. I am beckoning them to hasten.” 


188 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


“Come down,” and Blue Beard roared so loudly that the 
wife knew it was no use to try and put him off longer. She 
went slowly down stairs and when she came to her husband she 
threw herself at his feet. 

“Just five minutes more,” she begged. 

“It is in vain,” said the heartless Blue Beard. “You dis- 
obeyed me and now you must die.” He seized her beautiful long 
hair with one hand and raised his sword to cut off her head. 

Suddenly a great pounding was heard at the palace door. 
Blue Beard stopped short. The door flew open and in rushed 
the two brothers, who had seen the danger signal from the tower 
and had lost no time in getting there. When they saw Blue 
Beard’s raised sword and their own sister kneeling at his feet, 
they rushed upon the monster and killed him with their daggers. 
The poor wife, almost dead with fear, could scarcely rise to em- 
brace her brothers. 

As Blue Beard had no heirs, all his great wealth was left to 
his wife. She immediately sold the palace with the haunted 
chamber and went on a long journey. She gave her sister Anne 
a handsome dowry so that she could marry a man whom she had 
long loved. She bought captains’ commissions for her two 
brothers, and before a year had passed she herself married a very 
worthy man with whom she was so happy that she soon forgot 
her dreadful experience with Blue Beard. 



The Little Match Girl 

I T was New Year’s Eve. In the cold snow, a poor little girl, 
with bare head and naked feet, was walking along the street. 
She had had slippers on when she left home, but of what use were 
they? They were large slippers — in fact, her mother had used 
them, so big were they ; and the little girl had lost them when she 
ran across the street, for two big wagons came rattling by at a 
terrible rate. One of the slippers she couldn’t find; and a little 
boy ran away with the other. 

In an old apron she carried a number of matches, holding one 
bundle in her hand. Nobody had bought anything of her the 
whole day long; nobody had given her a single penny. 


189 


190 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


Shivering with cold and hunger, she crept along, looking oh! 
so miserable, poor little thing . 

By-and-by all the windows were lighted up, and in the street 
there was a delicious smell of roast goose. In a corner formed by 
two houses, one of which projected beyond the other, she sat down, 
huddling herself together. She drew her little legs up under her; 
hut she grew colder still, and she dared not go home: for she had 
sold no matches — had not earned a single penny. Her father 
would beat her, and, besides, it was cold at home : they had noth- 
ing over them but the roof, through which the wind came 
whistling, although the largest holes were filled up with straw 
and rags. Her little hands were numb with cold. 

Ah! a match might do her some good, if only she could 
draw one out of the bundle and rub it against the wall, just to 
warm her fingers. She drew one out. Fizz! how it sputtered 
and burned; there was a warm flame, just like a tiny candle, as 
she held her hands over it; it was a wonderful little light. It 
seemed to the little girl that she sat in front of a bright fire with 
polished brass fender and fire-irons. How beautiful and warm 
it was! She stretched out her tiny feet to warm them also, but 
suddenly the flame went out, the fire vanished, and she sat with 
the stump of a burnt match in her hand. 

She struck a new one ; it burned up, and as the light fell upon 
the wall, it became as transparent as a veil. She could see into 
a room where a table was spread with a fine dinner. What a 
savory smell came from the roast goose, stuffed with dried 
plums and apples! But, even more delightful, the goose jumped 
down from the dish, and waddled along the floor with a knife 
and fork in its beak, straight toward the little girl. Then the 
match went out. 

She lit another match, and saw a most beautiful Christmas 
tree. Thousands of candles were shining from its green 


THE LITTLE MATCH GIRL 


191 


branches, and many-colored pictures, just like those shown in 
the shop windows, looked down upon her. The little girl stretched 
out both her hands, but the match went out. 

The flames of the many Christmas candles rose higher and 
higher, and she saw that they were now twinkling stars. One 
of them fell, and left behind it a long streak of fire in the sky. 
“Now some one is dying,” said the little one. Her old grand- 
mother, who was the only person who had been kind to her, and 
who was now dead, had once said: “When a star falls, a soul 
goes up to God.” 

She struck another match against the wall. It lit up every- 
thing around, and in the brightness, quite clearly and distinctly, 
stood her grandmother, looking upon her lovingly. 

“Grandmother,” cried the little one, “take me with you! I 
know you will go when the match is burned out, and vanish 
like the warm fire, the delicious roast goose, and the big, beautiful 
Christmas-tree,” and she hastily struck the whole bundle of 
matches, wishing to hold her grandmother fast. The matches 
shone with a radiance brighter than daylight; grandmother had 
never before seemed so grand and so beautiful. She lifted the 
little girl in her arms, and they floated upward above the earth, 
higher and higher to the land where there is no cold, no hunger, 
no sorrow. They were with God. 

In the chill early dawn the little girl was found, leaning up 
against the wall, frozen to death, on the Happy New Year’s 
Eve. Motionless she sat there holding her matches; one bundle 
of them was burnt away. 

“Poor little thing,” said the passers-by who found her, “she 
must have tried to warm herself with the matches.” 

But no one dreamed of all the beautiful things she had 
seen, or how her grandmother had come and carried her away 
to her New Year’s peace and joy. 



Hop - O’- My -Thumb 

T HERE was once a wood-cutter and his wife who had seven 
children, all boys. The youngest was the brightest of all 
though he was the smallest. When he was born he was scarcely 
bigger than one’s thumb, so they named him “Hop-o’-my-thumb.” 

One night the little fellow overheard his mother and father 
talking. The wood-cutter was telling his wife that he was getting 
poorer every day and that he did not know how to earn any more 
money. “Rather than see our children starve before our eyes, it 
would be better to take them out in the woods and lose them.” 

So next day the father took all seven of the children witli 
him when he went out to the woods to cut down trees. Rut be- 
fore starting, the wise little Hop-o’-my-thumb had gathered 
several pockets full of white pebbles, and as lie went along, he 

192 


HOP-O -MY -THUMB 


193 


dropped them all along the road. While the children were gather- 
ing sticks to carry home to the mother, the father slipped off and 
left them alone in the deep woods. When the children discovered 
that they had been deserted they began to cry, but Hop-o’-my- 
thumb told them to stop crying and follow him. 'Thereupon he 
led them back to the house by the same road that they had taken 
into the forest. 

The parents were greatly surprised to see the children, but 
they were very sad for they had nothing to give them to eat but 
a few pieces of hard bread. 

Next morning the father started out again with the chil- 
dren, pretending that he wanted them to help him gather more 
wood. Little Hop-o’-my-thumb was suspicious, however, and 
as he did not have time to get any pebbles, he saved his crust of 
bread from breakfast. As he went along he dropped crumbs 
all along the way. 

They worked hard and gathered much wood, hut finally the 
father slipped away from them unnoticed, as before. Hop-o’- 
my-thumb was not much worried by this for he thought he could 
easily lead his brothers home again, but when he came to look 
for the crumbs they were nowhere to be seen; the birds had eaten 
them all up. This time they were really lost. They wandered 
on and on, getting deeper and deeper into the forest. At last 
night came on, and when the wind whistled through the trees they 
thought it was the howling of wolves. They were terrified and 
huddled together. At last Hop-o’-my-thumb climbed a tree to 
look about. In the distance he saw a light. Down he came and 
told the others what he had seen. Then they all started to walk 
toward it. Soon they came to the end of the forest and not much 
farther on was a great house. They knocked at the door and a 
woman came to open it. They told her they were lost and al- 
most starved and begged her to take them in for the night. 


194 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


“Alas, my good children/’ said the poor woman, “don’t you 
know that my husband is a wicked giant and eats little children?” 

“But what shall we do?” cried all the children at once. “If 
we go back to the forest the wolves will eat us. Can’t you hide 
us somewhere till morning?” 

So the woman took them in, gave them a good supper and 
then hid them under a big bed. At last the giant came in and 
sat down to his supper. The wife placed a whole roasted sheep 
and a keg of wine in front of him. He sniffed the air and said : 
“I smell fresh meat.” 

“Yes, my dear,” said the frightened woman, “it must be 
the calf I just skinned.” 

“I tell you I smell fresh meat. Whom are you hiding in my 
house?” With that he got up and looked in every corner. At 
last he came to the bed and under it he discovered the seven 
frightened children. He dragged them out and exclaimed: 
“Now I shall have a royal feast indeed, eating these tender 
morsels.” He took his dagger out of his belt and seized one of 
the children. The rest threw themselves at his feet and begged 
for mercy. But the hard-hearted monster would not listen to 
their pleading. However, his wife said: “It is a pity to eat them 
to-night. Why not wait till the morning? You know you ex- 
pect to entertain three of your giant friends for breakfast, why 
not give them a taste also?” 

“You are right,” said the ogre. “I will eat the sheep instead. 
Put them to bed.” 

He then seated himself to eat, much pleased to think that he 
had such a feast in store for his friends. He drained a dozen 
goblets more than usual and then went off to bed. 

Little Hop-o’-my-thumb pretended to sleep, but as soon 
as he heard the giant go to bed, he wakened his brothers, and they 
slipped out of the house. 


HOP-O'-MY-THUMB 


195 


Next morning when the giant awoke, he was furious when 
he found that the children had escaped. “The rascals,’’ cried 
he. “I shall catch them. Get me my seven-league boots.” 

He set out and after running in every direction, at last 
came upon the track of the poor children, who without knowing 
it, had wandered to within a short distance of their own home. 

In the distance they could see the monster striding from 
hill to hill, and stepping over rivers as easily as if they were 
brooks. Hop-o’-my-thumb discovered a cave and made his 
brothers hide in it. He kept watch at the entrance. By the time 
the giant had reached the cave he was so tired from traveling so 
far in such a short distance that he lay down for a minute to 
rest. “There is no danger of my losing them this time,” he said 
as his eyes began to close. In a few minutes he was sound asleep 
and snoring so loudly that the children — all hut Hop’-o’-my- 
thumb — were terrified. This brave little fellow crept up to the 
giant, and carefully pulled off the seven-league boots and put 
them on his own feet. They were fairy boots, and had the knack 
of fitting any foot they were put on. He strode about and soon 
discovered the road to his own home and sent the children there, 
while he traveled hack to the giant’s house. 

“Oh, Mrs. Ogre,” said he all out of breath, “your husband is 
in great danger. He had just caught us children when a band 
of dreadful robbers captured him and told him that they would 
kill him at once if he did not give them a hag of gold. He lent 
me his seven-league hoots and sent me after the money.” 

The woman thought he was surely telling the truth or he 
would not have her husband’s boots, so she gave him the money 
at once. Hop-o’-my-thumb then hastened back to his father’s 
house and gave him the great hag of gold, and they lived in great 
happiness ever afterward. 



Jack the Giant Killer 

M ANY years ago, during the reign of King Arthur, there 
lived in England, a number of giants who were the terror 
of all the country about. They stole the farmers’ cattle, sheep 
and oxen, and kept the land poor by their robberies. 

Nov/ there lived in one of the villages a little boy called 
Jack. He. was a very brave little hoy, and when he was seven 
years old he said:, “Why is everyone so afraid of the giants? I 
will kill them, and then no one will be afraid any more.” 

Close by there was a huge castle, which belonged to a giant 
called Cormoran. He was eighteen feet high, and when he was 
very hungry he would walk down into the village, pick up a 
man in each hand, and carry them off to boil for his breakfast. 


196 


JACK THE GIANT KILLER 


197 


Jack determined to put a stop to this, so one night he set 
out for the castle with a spade, a horn, and a pick-axe. With the 
spade he dug a pit twenty feet long, and twenty feet wide, and 
twenty feet deep. Then he covered it all over with sticks, and 
strewed the sticks with earth. When he had finished, it was al- 
ready morning. He blew a terrific blast on his horn. Out of 
the castle the huge giant rushed on to the green lawn. 

“Who has dared to wake me?” he roared in a voice of thunder. 
“You shall be broiled for my breakfast.” 

“You had better catch me first,” retorted Jack, who passed 
for a wit in the village. 

“You young rascal!” Saying this, the giant advanced with 
great strides to catch him, but Jack only danced with glee and 
blew his horn again and again. In another moment the giant 
had fallen into the pit, and was howling with rage and pain. 

“How about your breakfast now?” asked Jack, and he 
struck the giant a heavy blow on his head with the pick-axe and 
killed him. Then he cut off his head and brought it home to the 
village, and the peasants were so pleased to see Cormoran dead, 
that they clubbed together and bought Jack a sword, on which 
was written in gold letters: 

“This is the valiant Englishman 
Who slew the giant, Cormoran.” 

After that everyone called him “Jack the Giant Killer.” 

Several years j^assed away, but Jack w: s always thinking 
of giants, and always longing to kill another. At last he made 
up his mind to travel into Wales, where there lived another 
giant called Blunderbore. So he set out, and walked along 
the high road until in the distance he saw a great castle standing 
on a hill, and he thought that he would go there and ask for 
shelter. So he knocked at the door of the castle, and it was opened 


198 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


by the giant himself, who seemed very hospitable, and asked him 
to pass the night with him. He gave Jack a good supper, and 
then took him up into a pretty bedroom, and wished him good 
night. But as he was leaving the room Jack heard him mut- 
tering to himself : 

“Altho’ you lodge with me this night, 

You shall not see the morning light; 

My club shall dash your brains out quite.” 

But Jack was too cunning to be caught that way. He put 
a great log of wood in the bed, and then he crept under the bed 
and hid himself. At midnight the giant came into the room very 
quietly, and hit three heavy blows with his club on the bed, and 
then left the room chuckling to himself. He thought, of course, 
that he had broken every bone in Jack’s body. The next morn- 
ing, however, to the great surprise of the giant, Jack came down- 
stairs as if nothing had happened. 

“How did you sleep?” asked the giant. “Did you not feel 
anything in the night?” 

“No,” said Jack, “nothing but a rat that gave me two or 
three flaps with her tail.” 

Concealing his amazement as well as he could, the giant 
took Jack in to breakfast, and placed upon the table two bowls, 
each containing four gallons of bread-pudding. 

Jack did not want the giant to think he could not eat all 
of his, so he placed a large leather bag under his loose coat, and 
when the giant wasn’t looking he would put all the pudding he 
could not eat into it. 

When they had both finished their breakfast, Jack said to 
the giant: “I can do a great many things; I can cut my head 
off and put it on again; and see here what I can do.” With this 


JACK THE GIANT KILLER 


199 


he took a knife and ripped up the wallet, so that the bread 
pudding all fell out. 

“Odds, splutter!” said the giant, furious at being outdone, 
“I can do that myself.” He snatched the knife from Jack and 
ripping open his own stomach, immediately fell down dead. 

Then Jack went on his way to the court of King Arthur, 
and was enrolled as one of the Knights of the Round Table. 
He was a great favorite, and used to go on many expeditions 
with the king’s son. 

One day the prince told him that he was very unhappy, for 
there was a beautiful princess whom he wanted to marry, but 
the princess was in the hands of an enchanter, and no one could 
find out how to free her. 

“Well,” said Jack, “let us go together and hunt the en- 
chanter.” So they started off one fine day, and after they had 
walked a very long way, they found themselves in a wood, and 
Jack persuaded the prince to rest in the wood while he went and 
looked for a house. When he had walked about five minutes 
longer he found himself at the walls of a great castle. Jack 
knocked at the gate, and out came a giant with two heads. 

“I am your cousin Jack, and I bring you news,” said Jack. 
“The king’s son is coming with three thousand men to kill you.” 

“Oh, dear ! Cousin Jack, I do not want to be killed,” moaned 
the giant. “Lock me up in the cellar, and keep the key yourself 
until they are gone.” 

So Jack took the key and locked the giant up. Then he 
went back to the prince and brought him to the castle, and they 
passed a merry evening together. In the morning Jack collected 
as much treasure as the prince could carry, and sent him on into 
the wood with it, while he let the giant out of the cellar. 

The giant thanked him much for his kindness. “And now,” 
he said, “I will give you something that will be useful to you.” 


200 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


And he brought out of his garret an old coat, an old hat, an old 
pair of shoes, and a rusty sword. “Take these,” he said, “the 
coat will make you invisible, the hat will make you so wise that 
you will know everything, the shoes will make you swift as the 
wind, and with the sword you will be able to cut through any- 
thing.” So Jack took them all and joined the prince, and they 
journeyed on together. 

Soon they came to another castle, where there lived a very 
cruel giant. Round this castle was a wide, deep moat, and across 
the moat was a drawbridge. “Now,” said Jack, “I will go and 
speak to the giant.” 

Jack set the princes’ followers to work to cut the bridge 
on both sides, almost to the middle. Then he dressed himself 
in his invisible coat and his wonderful shoes and went across 
the bridge into the courtyard, where he found the giant, with 
his club in his hand. 

Now of course the giant couldn’t see Jack, but he could smell 
him so he called out: 

“Fe, fi, fo, fum, 

I smell the blood of an Englishman; 

Be he alive or be he dead, 

I’ll grind his bones to make me bread.” 

“Catch me if you can,” said Jack, taking off his coat so that 
the giant could see him, and starting to run. The giant followed 
him round and round the castle, but he could not catch him as 
Jack had on his wonderful shoes. At last Jack rushed across 
the drawbridge, the giant close upon his heels. But when the 
monster came to the middle of the bridge, where it had been cut 
on both sides, his great weight made it break, and he tumbled 
into the water, and was drowned. 


JACK THE GIANT KILLER 


201 


Then Jack and the king’s son continued their journey, till 
at last they arrived at the abode of the giant Galligantus, a very 
wicked giant who by the aid of a magician, turned princes and 
princesses into animals. 

The beautiful maiden whom the prince wanted to marry 
had been turned into a gazelle and was in this very castle. When 
Jack reached the door he found it guarded by two ferocious 
griffins — dreadful animals that had the bodies and heads of 
lions and the beaks and wings of eagles. He put on his invisible 
coat and marched into the palace. 

The first thing he saw on entering, was an enormous horn, 
upon which was written : 

“Whoever doth this trumpet blow 
Shall cause the giant’s overthrow.” 

“That will I do,” said Jack, and he blew a tremendous blast 
that made the castle walls shake. The griffins fell down dead, 
and then helter-skelter, through the great hall, rushed a group 
of terrified animals. Last of all came a beautiful gazelle and 
when she saw Jack, she fawned on him, and led him to a small 
room. Here he found the giant and cut off his head with his 
sharp sword, and as he did so, the gazelle turned into a beautiful 
princess — the very one the young prince was searching for. 

All the knights and beautiful ladies who had been changed 
into beasts, also returned to their proper shapes. The castle 
vanished away like smoke and with it the magician. Next day 
every one returned to the court and Jack brought the giant’s 
head to King Arthur, who was so pleased by his brave feats 
that he gave him a large estate, and married him off to a duke’s 
daughter. 



The Three Spinners 

T HERE was once a lazy girl who would not spin. At last her 
mother, getting both angry and impatient, gave her a blow, 
which made the girl cry very loudly. Just then the queen -passing 
by, heard the noise, and stopping the carriage, stepped into 
the house and asked the mother why she beat her daughter in 
such a way that the passers-by in the street heard her shrieks. 

The mother, however, was ashamed that her daughter’s lazi- 
ness should be known, and said, “I cannot make her leave off 
spinning; she will spin for ever and ever, and I am so poor that 
I cannot procure the flax.” 

The queen replied: “Let your daughter go with me to the 
castle; I have flax enough, and she may spin as much as she* 
pleases.” 

The mother was very glad at heart, and the queen took the 

202 


THE THREE SPINNERS 


203 


girl home with her. As soon as they entered the castle she led her 
up into three rooms, which were full of the finest flax from top 
to bottom. “Now, spin this flax for me,” said the queen; “and, 
when you have prepared it all you shall have my eldest son for a 
husband. Although you are poor, I do not despise you on that 
account; your unwearied industry is dowry enough.” 

The girl, however, was inwardly frightened, for she could 
not have spun the flax had she sat there from morning to night 
until she was three hundred years old. When she was left alone 
she began to cry, and thus she sat three days without stirring a 
hand. On the third day the queen came, and when she saw that 
nothing was yet spun she wondered; and the maiden excused 
herself by saying that she had not been able to begin yet, on ac- 
count of her great sorrow at leaving her mother’s house. So the 
queen was satisfied; but on leaving she said, “You must begin 
to work for me tomorrow.” 

As soon as the girl was again alone, she knew not how to 
act or help herself, and in her vexation she went and looked out 
of the window. She saw three women passing by; the first of 
whom had a broad, flat foot, the second such a large under-lip 
that it reached nearly to her chin, and the third a very big 
thumb. They stopped before the window, and, looking up, asked 
the girl what she wanted. She told them her trouble, and they 
offered her their help, saying, “Will you invite us to the wedding, 
and not be ashamed of us, but call us your aunts, and let us sit 
at your table? If you do all these, we will spin the flax in a very 
short time for you.” 

“With all my heart,” replied the girl; “come in, and begin 
at once.” Then she let in these three women, and, making a 
clear place in the first room, they seated themselves and began 
spinning. One drew the thread and trod the wheel, the other 
moistened the thread, and the third pressed it and beat with her 


204 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


fingers on the table; and as often as she did so a pile of thread 
fell on the ground, which was spun in the finest manner. The 
girl hid the three spinners from the queen, and showed her, as 
often as she came, the heaps of spun yarn, and received no end 
of praise. When the first room was empty, the three women 
went to the second, and at length to the third, so that soon all was 
cleared out. Now the three spinners took leave, saying to the 
girl, “Do not forget what you promised us; it will make your 
fortune.” 

When the girl showed the queen the empty rooms and the 
great pile of thread, the wedding was performed, and the bride- 
groom was glad that he had such a clever and industrious wife, 
and praised her exceedingly. 

“I have three aunts,” said the girl, “who have done me much 
service; so I would not willingly forget them in my good for- 
tune. Allow me, therefore, to invite them to the wedding, and to 
sit with me at table.” The queen and the bridegroom asked, 
“Why should we not allow it?” 

When the feast was begun, the three old women entered 
in great splendor, and the bride said, “You are welcome, dear 
aunts.” 

“Ah,” said the bridegroom, “how do you come by such ugly 
relatives?” And, going up to the one with the big foot, he asked, 
“Why have you such a broad foot?” “From treading, from 
treading,” she replied. Then he went to the second, and asked, 
“Why have you such an overhanging lip?” “From licking,” she 
answered, “from licking.” Then he asked the third, “Why have 
you such a broad thumb?” “From pressing the thread,” she re- 
plied, “from pressing the thread.” 

The prince was so surprised to think that spinning and 
weaving could make people that ugly that he at once forbade his 
bride ever to touch a spinning-wheel again. 


Roland 


O NCE upon a time there lived a real old witch who had two 
daughters, one ugly and wicked, whom she loved very much, 
because she was her own child; and the other fair and good, 
whom she hated, because she was her stepdaughter. One day 
the stepchild wore a very pretty apron, which so pleased the 
other that she turned jealous, and told her mother she must 
and would have the apron. “Be quiet, my child,” said she, “you 
shall have it; your sister has long deserved death. Tonight, 
when she is asleep, I will come and cut off her head; but take 
care that you lie nearest the wall, and push her quite to the side 
of the bed.” 

Luckily the poor maiden overheard this speech, or she 
would have been murdered; when bedtime came she was forced 
to lie in the place fixed for her; but happily the other sister 
soon went to sleep, and then she contrived to change places and 



206 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


get quite close to the wall. At midnight the old witch sneaked in, 
holding in her right hand an axe, while with her left she felt for 
her intended victim; and then raising the axe in both her hands, 
she chopped off the head of her own daughter. 

As soon as she went away, the maiden got up and went to 
her sweetheart, who was called Roland, and knocked at his door. 
When he came out she said to him, ‘‘Dearest Roland, we must 
flee at once ; my stepmother would have killed me, but in the dark 
she has murdered her own child; if day comes, and she dis- 
covers what she has done, we are lost!” 

“But I advise you,” said Roland, “first to take away her 
magic wand, or we cannot save ourselves if she should follow and 
catch us.” 

So the maiden stole away the wand, and taking up the head 
dropped three drops of blood upon the ground; one before the 
bed, one in the kitchen, and one upon the step; this done, she 
hurried away with her lover. 

When the morning came and the old witch had dressed her- 
self, she called to her daughter and would have given her the 
apron, but no one came. “Where are you?” she called. 

“Ah! I sleep in the bed,” said the drops of blood; and she 
entered the room, but what a sight met her eyes! There lay 
her own child covered with blood, for she herself had cut off her 
head. 

The old witch flew into a terrible passion, sprang out of the 
window, and looking far and near, presently saw her step- 
daughter, who was hurrying away with Roland. “That won’t 
help you!” she shouted; “were you twice as far, you should not 
escape me.” So saying, she drew on her boots, in which she went 
an hour’s walk with every stride, and before long she overtook 
the fugitives. But the maiden, as soon as she saw the witch 
in sight, changed her dear Roland into a lake with the magic 


ROLAND 


207 


wand, and herself into a duck, which could swim upon its sur- 
face. When the old witch arrived at the shore, she threw in 
bread-crumbs, and tried all sorts of means to entice the duck; 
but it was all of no use, and she was obliged to go away at evening 
without accomplishing her ends. When she was gone the maiden 
took her natural form, and Roland also, and all night long till 
daybreak they traveled onward. Then the maiden changed her- 
self into a rose, which grew amid a very thorny hedge, and Ro- 
land became a fiddler. Soon after up came the old witch, and said 
to him, “Good player, may I break off your flower?” “Oh! yes,” 
he replied, “and I will accompany you with a tune.” In great 
haste she climbed up the bank to reach the flower, and as soon as 
she was in the hedge he began to play, and whether she liked 
it or not she was obliged to dance to the music, for it was a be- 
witched tune. The quicker he played, the higher was she obliged 
to jump, till the thorns tore all the clothes off her body, and 
scratched and wounded her so much that at last she fell down 
dead. 

Then Roland, when he saw they were saved, said, “Now I 
will go to my father, and arrange the wedding.” 

“Yes,” said the maiden, “and meanwhile I will rest here, and 
wait for your return, and, that no one may know me, I will 
change myself into a red stone.” 

Roland went away and left her there, but when he reached 
home he fell into the snares laid for him by another maiden, and 
forgot his true love, who for a long time waited his coming; but 
at last, in sorrow and despair of ever seeing him again, she 
changed herself into a beautiful flower, and thought that per- 
haps some one might pluck her and carry her to his home. 

A day or two after a shepherd chanced to see the enchanted 
flower, and took it with him, and laid it away in his trunk. From 
that day everything prospered in the shepherd’s house, and mar- 


20S 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


velous things happened. When he arose in the morning he found 
all the work already done. When he came home at noonday the 
table was laid, and a good meal prepared for him. He could 
not imagine how it was all done, and became so anxious to know 
who it was, that he went and asked the advice of a wise woman. 
The woman said, “There is some witchery in the business; listen if 
you can hear anything moving in the room, and if you do and can 
see anything, throw a white napkin over it, and the charm will be 
dispelled.” 

The shepherd did as he was bid, and the next morning 
he saw his trunk open and the flower come out of it. He instantly 
sprang up and threw a white napkin over it, and immediately 
the spell was broken, and a beautiful maiden stood before him. 
She told him her tale, and she pleased the shepherd so much, 
that he asked her if she would marry him, but she said, “No,” 
for she would still keep true to her dear Roland, although he 
had left her. 

Meanwhile, the time had arrived for the celebration of Ro- 
land’s wedding, and, according to the old custom, it was pro- 
claimed through all the country round, that every maiden might 
assemble to sing in honor of the bridal pair. When the poor 
girl heard this, she decided to go to the wedding, just to see her 
dear Roland once more. 

When it came to her turn to sing, she stepped back till she 
was quite by herself, and as soon as she began to sing, Roland 
jumped up, exclaiming, “I know the voice! that is my true bride! 
no other will 1 have!” All that he had hitherto forgotten and 
neglected to think of was suddenly brought back to his heart’s 
remembrance, and he would not again let her go. 

And now the wedding of the faithful maiden to the dear 
Roland was celebrated with great magnificence; and their sor- 
rows and troubles being over, happiness became their lot. 





The Musicians of Bremen 

A FARMER once owned a donkey that had worked faith- 
fully for him for many years, but now that he was grow- 
ing old, the hard-hearted master decided to put an end to him. 
But the animal became aware of the fact and ran away. 

As he was traveling along, he saw a dog lying by the road- 
side, and panting as if he were very tired. “What makes you so 
weary?” asked the donkey. 

“Alas, I grew so old and weak, I could no longer follow 
my master to the chase, and he was going to knock me on the 

209 




210 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


head, but I ran off. But what shall I do now to earn my living? 
I fear I shall starve.” 

“Don’t lose your courage so easily,” said the donkey. 
“Come along with me. I’m going to the great city to turn 
musician. You can try your luck at the same thing.” 

So the dog and the donkey jogged on together. They had 
not gone far when they came to a cat sitting in the middle of the 
road. She looked so sad that the donkey felt sorry for her and 
stopped to ask her what the trouble was. 

“Ah me!” said the cat. “I was settling down to a happy old 
age, and was enjoying myself as I stretched out every day in 
front of the kitchen oven, when I learned that my mistress no 
longer had any use for me because I didn’t care to run after the 
mice. Indeed, she was even going to drown me, but I escaped ; 
but I don’t see what good it did me, for I do not know what I 
will live upon now.” 

“Don’t worry,” said the donkey, “but come along with us to 
the great city. You are a good night singer, and may make 
your fortune as a musician.” The cat was much pleased with 
the idea and joined the party at once. 

A little later on, as they were passing a farm, they saw a 
cock perched upon a gate, and screaming out with all his might. 
“Upon my word,” said the donkey, “you surely know how to 
make a great noise. What’s it all about?” 

“I just overheard the mistress tell the cook to cut off my 
head and make me into broth for the guests that are coming 
Sunday. So I decided to make all the noise I could while I 
was alive,” said the cock. 

“Why give them a chance to cut off your head?” said the 
donkey. “Come along with us instead. We’re on our way to 
Bremen, where we may get up some kind of a concert.” 


THE MUSICIANS OF BREMEN 


211 


“With all my heart,” said the cock, and the four went 
merrily on together. 

Although they traveled all day they could not reach the 
great city the first day, so when night came, they lay down in 
the woods to sleep. The cock flew up to the top of a tree, and 
before going to sleep, looked all around. As he did so he saw 
a bright light in the distance. He called down to his companions 
and told them that he thought there must be a house nearby, 
as he could see a light. 

“If that’s the case,” said the donkey, “I think we had better 
go on. We are all pretty hungry, and we might be able to get 
a square meal.” So off they all started, and as they drew nearer 
to the light, it grew larger and brighter. At last they came to a 
house in which a gang of robbers lived. 

As the donkey was the tallest, he crept up to the window 
and peeked in. There he saw a band of robbers seated around a 
table loaded with good things to eat. “We could have a great 
feast if we could only get rid of those robbers,” said the donkey, 
as he told the others what he had just seen. So they all put 
their heads together and devised a plan. 

The donkey stood close to the window. The dog climbed up 
on his back ; the cat scrambled up to the dog’s shoulders, and the 
cock flew up and sat on the cat’s back. When all was ready 
they began their music. The donkey bra) ed, the dog barked, the 
cat meowed and the cock crowed. Then they all broke through 
the window at once, and came tumbling into the room, the broken 
glass flying in all directions. 

The robbers were terrified and thought some dreadful 
witches had broken in upon them. They didn’t take the time to 
look around, but just scampered off as fast as they could. 

Then the four musicians seated themselves and had a royal 
feast. When they could eat no more they put the lights out 


212 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


and each one looked around for a comfortable place in which to 
pass the rest of the night. 

The donkey lay down upon a heap of straw in the yard ; the 
dog stretched out on a mat behind the door ; the cat rolled herself 
up on the hearth, before the dying fire, and the cock flew up to 
the roof of the house. 

The robbers had hidden in a nearby woods and when they 
saw that the house was dark, and everything was quiet they 
became brave and decided to go back again. One was bolder 
than the rest so he went back first, to see what was going on. 

Finding everything quiet, he stole into the kitchen and 
tried to light a candle. But he mistook the cat’s glittering eyes 
for live coals, and when he tried to strike a match on them, the 
cat flew at him and scratched him unmercifully. This terrified 
him so that he ran to the door, but there he fell over the dog, 
who bit him on the leg. As he was crossing the yard, the donkey 
kicked him, and the cock, awakened by so much noise, started 
to crow with all his strength. The poor robber ran back to his 
companions and told them that a band of witches had taken 
possession of the house. 

“When I tried to strike a match a witch reached out her 
bony hands and scratched my face. When I ran out the door, 
another witch, hiding there, stabbed me in the leg with a knife. 
Out in the yard stood a black monster that struck me with a club, 
and up on the roof sat a judge who called out: ‘Toss the villain 
up to me’.” 

On hearing this the robbers were so frightened, that they 
left that part of the country and never dared to come back to 
their own house again. 

The musicians liked their quarters so well, that they gave up 
the idea of going on to the great city, and lived comfortably in 
the robbers’ dwelling ever after. 



A Real Princess 

T HERE was once a prince who wanted to marry a princess, 
but she must be a real princess. So he traveled through 
the whole world to find one, but there was always something 
against each. There were plenty of princesses, but he could 
not find out if they were real princesses. In every case there 
was some little defect, which showed the genuine article was not 
yet found. 

So he came home again in very low spirits, for he had wanted 
very much to have a real princess. 


213 


214 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


One night there was a dreadful storm; it thundered and 
lightened and the rain streamed down in torrents! It was fear- 
ful! There was a knocking heard at the palace gate, and the 
old king went to open it. 

There stood a princess outside the gate; but oh, what a 
sight she was from the rain and the storm! The water was 
running down from her hair and her dress. It ran in at the 
toes of her shoes and out at the heels again. And yet she said 
she was a real princess! 

“Well, we shall soon find out!” thought the old queen. Rut 
she said nothing, and went into the sleeping-room, took off all 
the bed-clothes, and laid a pea on the bottom of the bed. Then 
she put twenty mattresses on top of the pea, and twenty eider- 
down quilts on the top of the mattresses. And this was the bed 
in which the princess was to sleep. 

The next morning she was asked how she had slept. 

“Oh, very badly!” said the princess. “I scarcely closed my 
eyes all night! I am sure I don’t know what was in the bed. 
I lay on something so hard that my whole body is black and 
blue. It is dreadful!” 

Then they knew that she was a real princess, because she had 
felt the pea through the twenty mattresses and the twenty eider- 
down quilts. 

No one but a real princess could be so sensitive. 

So the prince married her, for now he knew that at last 
he had met a real princess. And the pea was put into the Royal 
Museum, where it is still to be seen if no one has stolen it. 



The Flying Trunk 

T HERE was once a merchant who was so rich that he could 
have paved a whole street with silver. When he died he 
left all his wealth to his only son, a good-for-nothing. 

This young man led a merry life, going to balls and parties 
every night. He was so extravagant that he played at ducks 
and drakes with gold pieces instead of stones. He even made 
paper kites out of bank notes. 

Soon he had used up all his wealth. He had nothing left 
but four dollars, a pair of slippers, and an old dressing-gown. 
His friends deserted him, all but one — a good natured fellow — 
who sent him a large trunk with the words “pack up.” 

215 


216 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


As he had nothing to pack, he decided to get into the trunk 
himself. 

Now this was a very remarkable trunk, for as soon as the 
lock was pressed, it could fly. No sooner had the young man 
climbed into the trunk, and pressed the lock, than he was up in 
the air and far away. 

He flew on till he reached the country where the Turks live. 
There he hid the trunk under heaps of dry leaves in a forest, and 
went into the city. He felt quite at home in his dressing-gown 
and slippers as that was the way all the Turks seemed to be 
dressed. 

Close to the town he saw a great castle, with windows placed 
very high. 

“Who lives there?” he asked a passer-by. 

“The sultan’s daughter,” replied the man. “It has been 
prophesied that she would be very unhappy in the choice of her 
lover, so she is kept there in the castle, and can see no one unless 
the sultan and his wife are present.” 

“We’ll see about that,” said the young man to himself, as he 
hurried back to the forest. Then he climbed inside his trunk and 
flew right over the roof of the castle. He left his trunk on a turret 
and crawled in through a window into the princess’ room. 

She was sleeping on the sofa, and looked so beautiful that 
the merchant’s son was tempted to kiss her. This awakened 
the princess and she was dreadfully frightened at seeing a 
stranger in her room. But the visitor told her that he was the 
god of the Turks and that he had flown down from the heavens 
to see her. Of course this delighted her very much. 

They sat down side by side, and he told her stories about 
her eyes, and her snowy forehead. Finally he proposed to her 
and she said “yes” without a moment’s hesitation. 


THE FLYING THUNK 


217 


“You must be sure and come Friday, when the sultan and 
sultana drink tea with me,” she said. “They will be very proud 
to have me wed the god of the Turks. If you want to make a 
good impression on both of them, come prepared to tell some good 
stories.” 

“Very well, I shall bring no other dowry than a story,” he 
said, and so they parted. The princess gave him a sabre studded 
with precious stones, and that was of great use to him. He flew 
into town and sold it, bought a new dressing-gown and several 
other things he needed. Then he sat down in the woods to pre- 
pare the story, and that was no easy matter. 

On Friday, when he arrived at the castle, the whole court 
was there, and he was received very graciously. 

He was asked to tell a story, and really told such a thrilling 
one that the sultan and sultana were delighted and told him he 
could marry their daughter at once. From that night till Mon- 
day, the day set for the wedding, they treated the merchant’s 
son as one of the family. Nothing was too good for him. 

The night before the wedding, the whole city was illuminat- 
ed. Gingerbread and biscuits were thrown among the people. 
The street-urchins stood on tip-toe and whistled through their 
fingers. 

“Now I suppose I must give them some sort of a treat,” 
said the merchant’s son. So he bought a quantity of sky rockets, 
Homan candles, and all sorts of fireworks, placed them in his 
trunk, and flew up in the air. 

P-r-r-r-r-! how they whirred, and fizzed, and blazed out on 
all sides. 

The Turks jumped up in the air till their slippers flew past 
their ears. They had never seen such a glitter and show before. 
Now they realized clearly that their princess was going to 
marry a god. 


218 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


As soon as the merchant’s son had finished his display of 
fireworks, he alighted in the wood, hid the trunk, and went into 
the town to hear how the people liked the exhibition. 

Nobody of course recognized him, for he was only known to 
the royal family. 

Every one whom he questioned had seen something dif- 
ferent from his neighbors, but they all agreed it had been a 
very beautiful sight. 

“I saw the bridegroom myself,” said one of them, “his eyes 
were like golden stars, and his beard like foaming water.” 

“He flew away in a mantle of fire,” cried another. “Love- 
ly angel-faces gleamed forth from its folds.” 

It was getting very late, so he hurried back to the woods, to 
take a little sleep, for the next day was his wedding-day. Every- 
thing was arranged. The princess was to wait for him out on the 
roof, and they were to fly away together. 

He reached the spot where he kept his trunk, and began to 
pull the leaves away. But where was the trunk? Had someone 
stolen it? It was nowhere to be seen! Under the leaves he soon 
found bits of charred wood. The trunk had burned up. A 
spark from the fireworks had been left behind, and the wonder- 
ful flying trunk had caught fire and burned to ashes. 

Next day the princess stood waiting on the roof all day 
long, but the god-like lover never came to claim his bride. In- 
stead he hurried out of the country, and no one ever heard of him 
again. 





Hans in Luck 

H AN S had been a faithful apprentice for seven years and had 
learned a good trade. One day he said: “Master, my time 
is up. Give me my pay so that I may go back home and see 
my mother.” 

The master was very fond of Hans who had worked hard 
for him all these years, so he gave him a lump of silver as big as 
his head. 

Hans thanked him, tied the silver up in his red handker- 
chief and started off. He trudged on for several hours and was 
beginning to get very tired when along came a man on a hand- 
some horse. 

“You are a lucky man to own a fine horse like that and ride 
along over the hard roads, while I have to trudge along and carry 
this heavy piece of silver,” said Hans. 

“What do you say to changing?” asked the rider. “I will 
give you my horse and you give me your silver.” 

219 


220 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


Hans was delighted and soon he was galloping along the 
road. “What was a lump of silver compared to a horse like this!” 
thought Hans. “Just see how he goes,” and he urged the horse 
to go faster. But alas, the horse went so fast that he threw his 
rider off and the first thing Hans knew he lay in a ditch by the 
roadside. His horse would have run away, if a shepherd who was 
coming by, driving a cow, had not stopped it. 

Hans was vexed with the horse. Seeing the nice sleek cow, 
he said: “I’d much rather have a cow. You can walk along be- 
side her at your leisure and have milk, butter and cheese every 
day into the bargain.” 

“If you are so fond of her I will change my cow for your 
horse,” said the shepherd, hardly believing Hans would trade 
such a fine horse. 

“Done!” cried Hans, merrily. The shepherd jumped upon 
the horse and away he rode, before Hans might change his mind. 

Hans drove his cow quietly, and thought his bargain a very 
lucky one. After he had been walking in the sun a while he 
thought he would refresh himself with a drink of milk. So he 
tied the cow to a stump, and held his leather cap to milk into. 
But not a drop of milk would come. While he was trying his luck 
and managing the matter very clumsily, the uneasy beast gave 
him a kick on the head that knocked him senseless. 

Luckily for him, along came a butcher driving a pig to 
market. After the butcher had helped Hans to get up he asked 
him the trouble. When Hans told him he looked the animal 
over and said : “That is an old beast. She will give no more milk. 
She is only fit for the slaughter-house.” 

“Alas! alas!” said Hans. “I do not care for cow-beef. It 
is not tender enough for me. Now if it were only pig, it could 
,at least be made into delicious sausage.” 


HANS IN LUCK 


221 


“Well, said the butcher, “to please you I’ll change, and give 
you the pig for the cow.” 

“Heaven bless you for your kindness,” said Hans, and he 
took the string tied to the pig’s leg and drove it away. 

He jogged along, quite content till he met a fat country- 
man carrying a goose. The man looked enviously at the fine pig 
and asked Hans where he got it. When Hans told him he ex- 
changed it for a cow the countryman said: “Poor boy, that’s too 
bad. The pig was stolen from the judge and he is on the look- 
out for the person who took it. He is going to put him in jail.” 

Poor Hans was greatly frightened and said: “Good man, 
do help me out of this scrape. You know this country better 
than I. Do take the pig and give me your goose.” So the coun- 
tryman led the pig down a side lane and Hans went joyfully on 
with his goose. 

As he came to the last village he met a scissors-grinder, witli 
his wheel, working away and singing merrily. Hans stood and 
watched him for a while, then said: “You must be rich, master 
grinder, you seem so happy at your work. “Yes,” said the 
man, “mine is a golden trade. A good grinder never puts his 
hand in his pocket without finding money. But where did you 
get that fat looking goose?” 

“I changed it for a pig,” replied Hans. 

“And where did you get the pig?” further questioned the 

man. 

“Oh, I gave a cow for it, and for the cow I gave a horse and 
for the horse I gave a lump of silver as big as my head.” 

“But where did you get the silver?” asked the grinder. 

“I worked hard for that seven long years,” answered Hans. 

“Well,” said the man, “you have gotten along well in the 


222 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


world ; now if you could only find money in your pockets when- 
ever you wanted it, you would be luckier than ever.” 

“Very true, but how can that be done?” 

“You must turn grinder like me. All you need is a grind- 
stone. Now, here is one that is a little the worse for the wear, 
but it is at least worth your goose if you care to change.” 

“I should be the happiest man in the world,” said Hans, “if 
I could have money whenever I put my hand in my pocket. 
Here’s the goose.” The grinder took the goose, and picking up a 
common rough stone that lay by the road, handed it to Hans, 
saying: “This is an excellent stone. Manage it carefully and you 
can make an old nail cut with it.” 

Hans took the stone and went off with a light heart, think- 
ing he was indeed a lucky young fellow. He trudged on, but 
before he had carried the heavy stone many miles he began to 
feel very tired and thirsty. He came at last to the side of a pond, 
and laying the stone down he leaned over to drink. But in doing 
so he accidentally pushed the stone, and into the water it went 
with a splash. Hans watched it sink into the deep water, then 
jumped up joyfully as he exclaimed: “Heaven is certainly kind 
to me. It has taken away my only plague — the heavy stone. 
How happy I am! No one was ever so lucky.” 

He then traveled on, free from all his troubles, till he reached 
his mother’s house. 



Thick-Headed Jack 

A KNIGHT had three sons, two of whom were very clever, 
but the third was considered stupid. He went by the name 
of “Thick-headed Jack.” 

Now it happened that the king’s daughter had made up her 
mind that she would not marry a prince, nor any one that her 
father picked out for her. Indeed not, she was going to marry 
a man who knew how to give a ready answer and to think quickly. 

Both the clever sons wished to marry the princess. They had 
spent a whole week in preparing themselves for the wooing. The 
eldest knew by heart the whole Latin dictionary, and every 
column of the daily newspaper for the last three years. The 
second brother had studied law and knew all about state affairs. 
“I shall get the princess,” they both cried together; and their 


223 


224 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


old father gave each of them a beautiful horse. Just as they 
were starting off, up came the youngest brother and wanted to 
know where they were going. When they told him they were 
going to try and win the king’s daughter, Thick-headed Jack 
exclaimed : 

“My gracious! I shall come too.” The brothers laughed 
scornfully and rode away. 

“Father,” cried Thick-headed Jack, “I must have a horse. 
If you only knew what a hurry I’m in to get married. If she 
takes me I’ll take her; and if she don’t take me I’ll take her all 
the same.” 

“Hold your foolish tongue,” cried his father. “You shall 
have no horse. You must not expect to do the things your broth- 
ers do. You are different beings.” 

“Well,” cried Thick-headed Jack, “if I can’t have a horse 
I’ll take my old goat.” So saying, he mounted the old goat, and 
was off down the turnpike road. 

“Hello!” cried Jack, catching up with his brothers. “Just 
look at what I have found on the road,” and he showed them a 
dead crow. 

“Blockhead,” cried his brothers. “What are you going to 
do with that?” 

“Why, I am going to give it to the princess, of course.” 

“You had better not,” said his brothers, riding away. 

“Hippity-hop ! Here I come! See what I have found now; 
it is not everybody who could pick this up from the turnpike 
road.” 

The brothers turned to see what he had. “Stupid!” they 
cried, “that is nothing but an old wooden shoe with the top part 
broken off. Are you going to give that to the princess?” 

“Perhaps I may,” said Thick-headed Jack. The brothers 
laughed and rode on ; they were now a long way in advance. 


THICK-HEADED JACK 


225 


“Hippity-hop ! Here I come!” cried Jack, as he caught up 
to them for the third time. “Look here, better and better! 
My, this is splendid!” 

“What have you found now?” cried the brothers. 

“Oh, I can’t tell you,” said Jack. “It’s too nice. Won’t 
the king’s daughter be pleased?” 

“Fie,” cried the brothers, “that’s nothing but mud out of 
the gutter.” 

“Yes,” agreed Jack, “but just look at the quality. It’s 
so fine it slips right through one’s fingers.” He thereupon filled 
his pockets with the mud. 

When they reached the town they had to stand in line with 
hundreds of other suitors. 

All the people of the land stood in crowds around the palace 
windows to see the princess receive her beaux. As soon as one 
of them entered the hall where the beautiful princess was seated, 
his speech went out like a candle. 

Then the king’s daughter would exclaim: “Away with 
him.” 

At last it came the turn of the brother who knew the Latin 
dictionary, but he had stood outside so long that he had forgotten 
every word of it. Besides the room was so hot it was like a 
baker’s oven. 

All the lover could say was: “It is dreadfully hot here.” 

“Yes, indeed, but my father is roasting some chickens to- 
day,” said the princess. 

“Ahem! ahem!” was all he could answer. 

“He is no good,” said the king’s daughter. “Out with him!” 
and out he had to go. The second brother acted as stupidly as 
the first, and he too, was sent away. 

Next came Thick-headed Jack, galloping, goat and all, 
straight into the room. “Puff, it’s murdering hot,” he cried. 


226 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


“Yes, indeed, but I am roasting chickens,” said the king’s 
daughter. 

“Oh, that’s nice. Then I can roast my crow,” said Thick- 
headed Jack. 

“With pleasure,” said the princess. “But have you anything 
in which to cook it? I have neither pot nor pan.” 

“I have indeed,” said Jack. “Here is a cooking utensil with 
a tin handle complete.” He took out the old wooden shoe and 
put the crow inside. 

“We could have a regular meal,” said the princess, “if we 
only had some soup.” 

“I’ve got some in my pocket,” said Thick-headed Jack, 
taking out some mud and throwing it on the floor. 

“Now, I like that,” said the princess. “You have an answer 
ready, and you can speak. I choose you for my husband. But 
do you know that every word we speak, and have spoken is written 
down, and will come out in the papers tomorrow? In front of 
every window you see in this room there are three reporters. 
That old one over there is the worst, for he cannot understand 
anything.” She only said that to see if she could confuse Jack. 
The reporters tittered and dropped a shower of ink-spots on the 
floor. 

“Oh, indeed? Well, don’t worry about anything that old 
one will write. I’ll fix him.” With that he took out a fist full 
of soft mud from his pocket and threw it right in the reporter’s 
face. 

“That was neatly done,” said the princess. “I could not 
have done it as well myself, but I shall surely learn in time.” 

And so it came to pass that Thick-headed Jack married 
the beautiful princess and when her father died, several years 
later, he was made king and wore a crown. 


The Fisherman and His Wife 


I N a poor little hut, down by the sea, there once lived a fisher- 
man and his wife. Every day the man went down to the 
water’s edge and sat and fished. But he had very bad luck and 
never caught much of anything till one morning his line went 
suddenly to the bottom, and when the fisherman drew it up, a 
great flounder was hooked at the end. 

“Let me go,” cried the flounder. “I am not a real fish. In- 
deed not, I am an enchanted prince. Throw me back into the 
water and let me swim. You could not eat me if you did carry 
me home.” 

“Don’t get so excited,” said the fisherman. “I'm sure I do 



228 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


not want to eat a fish that can talk.” So saying, he unhooked 
the flounder and threw him back into the water. Then he got 
up and went back to his wife at the hut. 

“Where are your fish? Have you caught nothing today?” 
she asked crossly. 

“Oh!” he replied, “I caught a flounder, who said he was on 
enchanted prince, so I threw him back into the sea to swim.” 

“Did you not wish first?” she inquired. “No,” said he. 

“Ah,” said the wife, ‘‘that is very unlucky; is one to remain 
in this hovel forever? You might have wished for a better hut, 
at least. Go again and call him ; tell him we choose to have a bet- 
ter home and I’m certain you’ll get it.” 

“Ah!” replied he, “how shall I manage that?” “Why,” said 
his wife, “you must catch him again, and before you let him 
swim away he will grant what you ask ; be quick.” The man was 
not much pleased, but, nevertheless, he went down to the sea. 
When he came to the water it was green and yellow. He stood 
by it and said— 

“Flounder, flounder, in the sea, 

Hither quickly come to me ; 

For my wife, dame Isabel, 

Wishes what I dare not tell.” 

Then the fish came swimming up, and said, “What do you 
want with me?” “Oh!” said the man, “My wife says I ought to 
have wished before I let you go. She won’t stay any longer in 
her hovel, and desires a cottage.” 

“Go home again,” said the flounder, “she has it already.” 
So the fisherman departed, and there was his wife, no longer in 
the dirty hovel but in a nice clean cottage. She took him by the 
hand, saying, “Come now and see; is not this much better?” 
There was a beautiful parlor, and a fine fireplace, and a chamber 


THE FISHERMAN AND HIS WIFE 


229 


where a bed stood; there were also a kitchen and a store-room, 
with nice earthenware, all of the best ; tinware and copper vessels, 
and everything very clean and neat. At the back was a large 
yard, with hens and chickens, as well as a fine garden, full of 
fruit-trees and vegetables. “See,” said the wife, “is not this 
charming?” 

“Yes,” said her husband, “so long as it blooms you will be 
very well content with it.” 

Thus two weeks passed on, when the wife said, “Husband, 
the hut is far too narrow for me, and the yard and garden are so 
small; the flounder can easily give us a larger house. I wish to 
live 'in a large stone palace; go and ask him to give us a castle.” 

“Ah, wife,” said he, “the cottage is good enough; why should 
you choose to have a castle?” 

“Go along,” she replied, “the flounder will soon give you 
that.” 

“Nay, wife,” he said, “the flounder gave us the cottage at 
first, but when I go again he will perhaps be angry.” 

“Never you mind,” said she, “go and try.” The hus- 
band was vexed at heart, and said to himself, “This is not right.” 
But at last he set off. 

When he came to the sea, the water was quite clouded and 
deep blue colored, and black and thick ; it looked green no longer, 
yet it was calm. He called out: 

“Flounder, flounder, in the sea, 

Hither quickly come to me. 

For my wife, dame Isabel, 

Wishes what I scarce dare tell.” 

“Now, then, what do you want?” said the flounder. “Oh,” 
said the man, half-frightened, “my wife wants to live in a great 


230 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


stone castle.” “Go home, and see it at your door,” replied the 
fish. 

The fisherman went away, and lo! where formerly his house 
stood, there was a great stone castle; and his wife called to him 
from the steps to come in, and, taking him by the hand, she said, 
“Now let us look about.” So they walked about, and in the castle 
there was a great hall, with marble tables, and there were ever so 
many servants, who ushered them through corridors into rooms 
hung all round with tapestry, and filled with fine golden stools 
and chairs, with crystal looking-glasses on the walls. 

The next morning the wife woke up just as it was day, and 
looked out over the fine country which lay before her. Her hus- 
band did not get up, and there she stood with her arms akimbo, 
and called out: “Get up, and come and look here at the window; 
see, shall I not be queen over all the land? Go and tell the 
flounder we choose to be king and queen.” “Ah, wife,” said he, 
“why should I wish to be king?” “No,” she replied, “you do not 
wish, so I will be queen. Go, tell the flounder so.” 

“Oh, why do you wish this? I cannot ask the flounder for 
any more favors.” 

“Why not? go off at once; I must be queen.” The husband 
set out quite stupefied, but she would have her way, and when 
he came to the sea it was quite black-looking, and the water 
splashed up and smelled very disagreeably. But he stool still, and 
repeated — 

“Flounder, flounder, in the sea, 

Hither quickly come to me; 

For my wife, dame Isabel, 

Wishes what I scarce dare tell.” 

“What does she want now?” asked the flounder, “Ah,” said 
he, “she would be queen.” “Go home, she is so already,” replied 


THE FISHERMAN AND HIS WIFE 


231 


the fish. So the fisherman departed, and when he came near the 
palace he saw it had become much larger, with a great tower and 
gateway in front of it; and before the gate stood a herald, and 
there were many soldiers with kettledrums and trumpets. When 
he entered he found everything made of purest marble and gold. 
He passed into a great court apartment and there sat his wife 
upon a high throne of gold and diamonds. She had a crown 
of gold upon her head, and a sceptre of precious stones in her 
hand ; and at each side stood six pages, in a row. Then he went 
up, and said, “Ah, wife, are you queen now?” “Yes,” said she, 
“now I am queen!” There he stood looking for a long time. At 
last he said, “Ah, wife, how do you like being queen? now we 
have nothing else to choose.” “Indeed!” she replied, “I am 
very much dissatisfied; time and tide do not wait for me; I can 
bear it no longer. Go, then, to the flounder; queen I am; now I 
must be pope.” “Ah, wife! what would you? Pope thou canst not 
be, the pope is the head of Christendom, the flounder cannot make 
you that.” 

“I will be pope,” replied the wife, in such a determination 
that he was obliged to go, and, when he came to the shore, the 
sea was running mountains high, and the sky was so black that 
he was quite terrified, and began to say in a great fright — 

“Flounder, flounder, in the sea, 

Quickly, quickly, come to me. 

For my wife, dame Isabel, 

Wishes what I dare not tell.” 

“What now?” asked the flounder. “She wants to be pope,” 
said he. “Go home, and find her so,” was the reply. 

So he went back, and found a great church, in which his 
wife was sitting upon a much higher throne, with two rows of 


232 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


candles on each side, as thick as towers, and before her footstool 
were kings and queens kneeling. 

“Wife,” said he, “now be contented; since you are pope, you 
cannot be anything else.” “That I will think about,” she re- 
plied, and so they went to bed ; but she could not sleep for think- 
ing what she should be next. Very early she rose, and looked 
out of the window, and as she saw the sun rising, she thought 
to herself, “Why should I not do that?” and so she shook her 
husband, and called out to him, “Go, tell the flounder I want to 
make the sun rise.” Her husband was so frightened that he 
tumbled out of bed, but she would hear nothing, and he was 
obliged to go. 

When he got down to the sea a tremendous storm was rag- 
ing, and the ships and boats were tossing about in all directions. 
Then he shouted out, though he could not hear his own words — 

“Flounder, flounder, in the sea. 

Quickly, quickly, come to me; 

For my wife, dame Isabel, 

Wishes what I dare not tell.” 

“What would she have now?” asked the fish. “Ah!” he re- 
plied, “she wants to be Ruler of the Universe.” 

“Return and find her back in her hovel,” replied the 
flounder. 

The poor fisherman turned back and sure enough there sat 
his wife in front of their old hut; and there they had to remain 
for the rest of their lives. 


Hansel and Grethel 


H ANSEL AND GRETHEL had a cruel stepmother who 
was a wicked fairy. She treated the children so badly that 
finally they left home and started to travel over the wide world. 

They walked all day over hills and across fields and at 
length came to a deep wood. But the wicked stepmother had 
followed them and when Hansel stooped down to take a drink 
from the brook he was instantly turned into a fawn. 

Grethel wept bitterly over the poor creature, and the tears 
also rolled down his cheeks as he lay down beside her. Then 
she said: 

“Rest in peace, dear fawn, I will never, never leave you.” 
So she took off her golden necklace and put it round his neck. 
Then she plucked some long grasses and braided them mto a 
soft string to fasten to his collar, and led him on into the wood. 

After they had traveled a long way they came to a deserted 
cottage where they lived for a long time. Grethel gathered 
leaves and moss and made a soft bed for the fawn. Every 
morning she went out and plucked nuts, roots, and berries for 
herself, and sweet shrubs and tender grass for the fawn. He 
ate out of her hand and frisked about her as happy as could be. 

In the evening when Grethel was tired she laid her head 
upon the fawn for her pillow and slept. “If my brother could 
only have his right form again, how happy we could be together 
out here in the woods,” thought Grethel, 


233 


234 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


One day it happened that the king and his hunters came 
into the woods to hold a great hunt. The little fawn was frisk- 
ing about and the hunters spied him. They could not catch 
him, however. He ran back to the hut, tapped at the door and 
cried: “Sister, sister, let me in.” Then she opened the door and 
in he jumped and slept soundly all night on his soft bed. 

Next day the little fawn wandered again far from the hut, 
forgetting all about the hunters. But they saw him and gave 
chase. They noticed he wore a golden collar and were very 
curious to find out who owned him. At last after the chase had 
lasted all day the huntsmen nearly surrounded him, and one 
of them wounded him in the foot. He went limping away and 
the man who had shot him followed close behind. When the 
fawn came to the hut the man hid behind a tree and heard the 
little animal say: “Sister, sister, let me in,” and immediately the 
door was opened and soon shut again. 

The huntsman went back and told the king what he had 
heard and seen, and the king said: “We must find out who lives 
in the hut.” 

So next day they waited till the little fawn went limping out 
of the door, to go and gambol in the woods. Then the king crept 
to the hut, tapped at the door and said: “Sister, sister, let me 
in.” Immediately the door opened and the king went in, and 
there stood a maiden more lovely than any he had ever seen 
before. 

Grethel was frightened to see a king with a golden crown 
instead of her little fawn. But the king took her hand and said: 
“Lovely maiden, you must come with me to my castle, where 
you shall be my wife.” 

“Gladly,” said Grethel, “if my fawn can couie with me, 
for I cannot part from him.” 


HANSEL AND GUETHEL 


235 


“Well,” said the king, “he shall come and live with you all 
your life and neither of you shall want for anything.” Just at 
that moment in came the fawn and his sister tied the string to 
his collar and they all left the woods together. 

A few days later the wedding was celebrated in great 
state. Grethel loved the king dearly for he was so gentle and 
kind. She finally told him all about their wicked stepmother. 
The king sent for her and made her break the enchantment and 
soon the fawn became Hansel again. The wicked stepmother 
was then banished from the country. After that they all lived 
on happily till the end of their days. 



The Story of Chicken-Licken 

O NE day Chicken-Licken went out to the woods, and as she 
was walking along an acorn fell on her poor bald pate, and 
she thought the sky had fallen. 

“Dear me,” she said, “I must go tell the king that the sky 
has fallen.” 

So Chicken-Licken turned back and as she was hurrying 
along she met Henny-Penny. “Hello, Henny-Penny,” she said, 
“where are you going?” 

“I’m going to the woods to get some meat.” 

“Oh, don’t go,” said Chicken-Licken, “for I was just there 
and the sky fell on my poor bald pate. Come along with me, 
and we’ll go and tell the king.” 

So Henny-Penny turned back with Chicken-Licken, and 
236 


THE STORY OF CHICKEN -LICKEN 


237 


soon they met Cocky-Locky. When they found that Cocky- 
Locky was also going to the woods for meat, Henny-Penny 
said: “Oh, Cocky-Locky, don’t go, for I was on my way there 
when I met Chicken-Licken, and Chicken-Licken had been to 
the woods, and the sky fell on her poor bald pate, and now we are 
going to tell the king.” 

Then Cocky-Locky joined the other two and soon they 
met Ducky-Lucky. “Well, Ducky-Lucky, where are you going 
this fine day?” “To the woods to hunt some meat,” replied 
Ducky-Lucky. “Don’t think of going,” said Cocky-Locky, “for 
I was going and met Henny-Penny, and Henny-Penny met 
Chicken-Licken, and Chicken-Licken had been to the woods 
and the sky fell on her poor bald pate, so now we’re going to tell 
the king about it.” 

So Ducky-Lucky turned hack with the others and next they 
met Draky-Laky. “Why, Draky-Laky, where are you going?” 
and Draky-Laky said: “I’m going to the woods for some meat.” 
Then Ducky-Lucky said, “Oh, Draky-Laky, don’t go, for I was 
going, and met Cocky-Locky, and Cock-Locky met Henny- 
Penny, and Henny-Penny met Chicken-Licken, and Chicken- 
Licken had been to the woods, and the sky fell on her poor bald 
pate. Now we are all going to tell the king.” 

So Draky-Laky turned hack, and met Goosy-Loosy. “Well, 
Goosy-Loosy, where are you going?” and Goosy-Loosy said, 
“I’m going to the woods for some meat. Then Draky-Laky said : 
“Oh, Goosy-Loosy, don’t go, for I was going, and met Ducky- 
Lucky, and Ducky-Lucky met Cocky-Locky, and Cocky-Locky 
met Henny-Penny, and Henny-Penny met Chicken-Licken, and 
Chicken-Licken had been to the woods, and the sky fell on her 
poor bald pate, and we are going to tell the king.” 

So Goosy-Loosy turned back, and met Gander-Lander. 
“Well, Gander-Lander, where are you going?” and Gander- 


238 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


Lander said, “I’m going to the woods for some meat.” Then 
Goosy-Loosy said: “Oh, Gander-Lander, don’t go, for I was go- 
ing, and met Draky-Laky, and Draky-Laky met Ducky-Lucky, 
and Ducky-Lucky met Cocky-Locky, and Cocky-Locky met 
Henny-Penny, and Henny-Penny met Chicken-Lieken, and 
Chicken-Licken had been to the woods, and the sky fell on her 
poor bald pate, and we are going to tell the king.” 

“Well, if that’s the case,” said Gander-Lander, “I’ll go 
back with you.” Soon they met Turky-Lurky. “Well, Turky- 
Lurky, where are you going?” Turky-Lurky replied: “I’m go- 
ing to the woods for some meat.” Then Gander-Lander said: 
“Oh, Turky-Lui*ky, don’t go, for I was going, and I met Goosy- 
Loosy, and Goosy-Loosy met Draky-Laky, and Draky-Laky met 
Ducky-Lucky, and Ducky-Lucky met Cocy-Locky, and Cocky- 
Locky met Henny-Penny, and Henny-Penny met Chicken- 
Licken, and Chicken-Licken had been to the woods, and the sky 
fell on her poor bald pate. Come along with us, we’re all going 
to tell the king.” 

So Turky-Lurky turned back, and walked with Gander- 
Lander, Goosy-Loosy, Draky-Laky, Ducky-Lucky, Cocky- 
Locky, Henny-Penny, and Chicken-Licken. And as they were 
hurrying along, they met F oxy-Loxy. Foxy-Loxy smiled 
sweetly and saidt “Where are you going, my pretty maids?” and 
they replied: “Chicken-Licken went to the woods, and the sky 
fell on her poor bald pate, and we’re all going to tell the king.” 

“Indeed!” Sftid Foxy-Loxy. “Well, then, you just come 
along with me Mid I will gladly show you the way.” But the 
sly old fox was deceiving them for he led them to his hole, where 
he and his young ones soon ate up poor Chicken-Licken, Henny- 
Penny, Cocky-Locky, Ducky-Lucky, Draky-Laky, Goosy- 
Loosy, Gander-Lander, and Turky-Lurky, and they never saw 
the king to tell him that the sky had fallen. 



The Water of Life 

O N CE upon a time there was a king who was so ill that every- 
body feared he would die. His three sons were very sad, 
and went out into the palace gardens to weep. There they met 
an old man, who asked the cause of their grief, and they told him 
their father Was dying and that nothing could save him. 

The old man said : “If he drinks of the water of life it will 
restore him to health; but it is very difficult to 

“I will soon find it,” said the eldest son, and, going to the 
sick king, he begged his permission to set out in search of the 
water of life, which alone could save him. 

“No,” the danger is too great,” said the king; “I prefer to 
die.” Nevertheless, the son begged and entreated so long that 
the king consented, and the prince went away, thinking in his 

239 


240 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


own heart: “If I bring this water I am the dearest to my father, 
and I shall inherit his kingdom.’’ 

After he had ridden a long way he met a dwarf on the road, 
who asked him, “Whither away so quickly?” 

“You stupid imp,” replied the prince proudly, “why should 
I tell you that?” and he rode off. But the little man was angry 
and he wished an evil thing, so that soon after the prince came 
into a narrow mountain-pass, and the further he rode the nar- 
rower it grew, till at last it was so close that he could get no 
further. Neither could he turn his horse round, nor dismount, 
and he sat there helpless. 

Meanwhile the sick king waited a long while for him, but 
he did not come; and the second son asked leave to go too and 
seek the water, for he thought to himself, “If my brother is dead 
the kingdom comes to me.” At first the king refused to spare 
him; but he gave in, and the prince set out on the same road as 
the elder one had taken, and met also the same dwarf, who 
stopped him and asked him, “Whither ride you so hastily?” 

‘‘Little imp,” replied the prince, “what do you want to know 
for?” and he rode off without looking round. The dwarf, how- 
ever, enchanted him, and it happened to him as it had to his 
brother; he came to the same mountain pass where he could 
move neither forwards nor backwards. Such is the fate of all 
haughty people. 

Now, when the second son did not return, the youngest 
begged leave to go and fetch the water, and the king was obliged 
at last to give his consent. When he met the dwarf, and was 
asked whither he was going so hurriedly, he stopped and replied, 
“I seek the water of life, for my father is sick unto death.” 

“Do you know where to find it?” asked the dwarf. 

“No,” replied the prince. 


THE WATER OF LIFE 


241 


“Since you have behaved yourself as you ought,” said the 
dwarf, “and not haughtily like your brothers, I will tell you. It 
flows from a fountain in the court of an enchanted castle, into 
which you can never penetrate if I do not give you an iron rod 
and two loaves of bread. With the rod knock thrice at the iron 
door of the castle, and it will spring open. Within lie two lions 
with open jaws, but if you throw down to each a loaf of bread 
they will be quiet. Then hasten and fetch some of the water of 
life before it strikes twelve, for then the door will shut again, and 
you will be imprisoned.” 

The prince thanked the dwarf, and, taking the rod and 
bread, he set out on his journey, and as he arrived at the castle 
he found it as the dwarf had said. At the third knock the door 
sprang open; and, when he had stilled the lions with the bread, 
he walked into a fine large hall, where sat several enchanted 
princes, from whose fingers he drew off the rings; and he also 
took away with him a sword and some bread which lay there. 
A little further on he came to a room wherein stood a beautiful 
maiden, who was so pleased to see him that she kissed him and 
said he had freed her, and should have her whole kingdom, and 
if he came in another year their wedding should be celebrated. 
Then she told him where the fountain of the water of life was 
placed, and he hastened away lest it should strike twelve before 
he reached it. He came next into a room where a fine clean 
covered bed stood, and, being tired, he lay down to rest a bit. 
But he went to sleep, and when he awoke it struck the quarter 
to twelve, and the sound made him hurry to the fountain, from 
which he took some water in a cup. This done, he hastened to the 
door, and was scarcely out before it struck twelve, and the door 
swung to so heavily that it carried away a piece of his heel. 

But he was very glad, in spite of this, that he had procured 
the water, and he journeyed homewards, and passed again where 


242 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


the dwarf stood. When the dwarf saw the sword and bread 
which he had brought away he declared he had done well, for with 
the sword he could destroy whole armies ; but the bread was worth 
nothing. Now, the prince was not willing to return home to his 
father without his brothers, and so he said to the dwarf, “Dear 
dwarf, can you tell me where my brothers are? They went out 
before me in search of the water of life, and did not return.” 

“They are stuck fast between two mountains,” replied the 
dwarf ; “because they were so haughty, I imprisoned them there.” 

Then the prince begged for their release, till at last the 
dwarf brought them out ; but he warned the youngest to beware 
of them, for they had evil in their hearts. 

When his brothers came he was very glad, and he related 
to them how he had found the water of life and brought away a 
cup full of it; and how he had rescued a beautiful princess, who 
for a whole year was going to wait for him, and then he was to 
return to be married to her, and receive a rich kingdom. After 
this tale the three brothers rode away together, and soon entered 
a province where there were war and famine raging, and the 
king thought he should perish, so great was his necessity. 

The youngest prince went to this king and gave him the 
bread, with which he fed and satisfied his whole people; and 
then the prince gave him the sword, wherewith he defeated and 
slew all his enemies, and regained peace and quiet. 

After this they went on board a ship to pass over the sea 
which separated them from home, and during the voyage the two 
elder brothers said to one another, “Our brother has found the 
water of life and we have not; therefore our father will give 
the kingdom to him, and our fortune will be taken away.” This 
thought made them so envious that they consulted together 
how they should kill him, and one day, waiting till he was fast 


THE WATER OF LIFE 


243 


asleep, they poured the water out of his cup and took it for 
themselves, while they filled his up with bitter salt-water. As 
soon as they arrived at home the youngest brother took his cup 
to the sick king, that he might drink out of it and regain his 
health. But scarcely had he drunk a very little of the water 
when he became worse than before, for it was as bitter as worm- 
wood. While the king lay in this state, the two elder princes 
came, and accused their brother of poisoning their father. 

They said they had brought the right water, and they handed 
it to the king. Scarcely had he drunk a little out of the cup when 
the king felt his sickness leave him, and soon he was as strong and 
healthy as in his young days. The two brothers now went to the 
youngest prince, mocking him, and saying, “You certainly found 
the water of life; but you had the trouble and we had the re- 
ward; you should have been more cautious and kept your eyes 
open, for we took your cup while you were asleep on the sea. 
Moreover, in a year one of us intends to fetch your princess. 
Beware, however, that you betray us not. The king will not 
believe you, and if you say a single word your life will be lost; 
but if you remain silent you are safe.” 

The old king, nevertheless, was very angry with his young- 
est son, who had conspired, as he believed, against his life. He 
caused his court to be assembled, and sentence was given to the 
effect that the prince should be secretly shot ; and once as he rode 
out hunting, unsuspicious of any evil, a huntsman was sent with 
him to perform the deed. By-and-by, when they were alone in 
the wood, the huntsman seemed so sad that the prince asked 
him what ailed him. The huntsman replied, “I cannot and yet 
must tell you. The king has ordered me to shoot you,” said he 
with a deep sigh. 

The prince was frightened, and said, “Let me live, dear 


244 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


huntsman, let me live! I will give you my royal coat and you 
shall give me yours in exchange.” To this the huntsman readily 
assented, for he felt unable to shoot the prince, and after they 
had exchanged their clothing the huntsman returned home, and 
the prince went deeper into the wood. 

A short time afterwards three wagons laden with gold and 
precious stones came to the king’s palace for his youngest son. 
They were sent by the king in token of gratitude for the sword 
which had defeated his enemies, and the bread which had nour- 
ished his people. At this arrival the old king said to himself, 
“Perhaps, after all, my son was guiltless;” and he lamented to 
his courtiers that he had let his son be killed. But the huntsman 
cried out, “He lives yet! for I could not find it in my heart to 
fulfill your commands;” and he told the king how it had hap- 
pened. The king felt as if a stone had been removed from his 
heart, and he caused it to be proclaimed everywhere throughout 
his dominions that his son might return and would again be taken 
into favor. 

Meanwhile the princess had caused a road to be made up to 
her castle of pure shining gold, and she told her attendants that 
whoever should ride straight up this road would be the right per- 
son, and one whom they might admit into the castle; but, on the 
contrary, whoever should ride up, not on the road, but by the side, 
would not be admitted. When, therefore, the time came 
which the princess had mentioned to the youngest prince, 
the eldest brother thought he would hasten to her castle and an- 
nounce himself as her deliverer, that he might gain her as a 
bride and the kingdom besides. So he rode away, and when he 
came in front of the castle and saw the fine golden road he thought 
it would be a shame to ride thereon, and so he turned to the left 
hand and rode up along the road. But as he came up to the 
door the guards told him he was not the right person, and he 


THE WATER OF LIFE 


245 


must ride back again. Soon afterwards the second prince also set 
out, and when he came to the golden road, he, too, thought it 
would he a pity to travel upon it, and so he turned aside to the 
right hand and went up. When he came to the gate the guards 
refused him admittance, and told him he was not the person ex- 
pected, and so he had to return homewards. 

The youngest prince, who had all this time been wandering 
about in the forest, had also remembered that the year was up, and 
soon after his brothers’ departure he appeared before the castle 
and rode straight up the golden road, for he was so deeply en- 
gaged in thinking of his beloved princess that he did not observe 
it. As soon as he arrived at the door it was opened, and the 
princess received him with joy, saying he was her deliverer and 
the lord of her dominions. Soon after their wedding was cele- 
brated, and when it was over the princess told her husband that 
his father had forgiven him and desired to see him. Thereupon he 
rode to the old king’s palace, and told him how his brothers had 
betrayed him while he slept, and had sworn him to silence. When 
the king heard this he would have punished the false brothers, 
but they had prudently taken themselves off in a ship, and they 
never returned home afterwards. 


-jj 



Little One-Eye, Little Two-Eyes 
and Little Three-Eyes 

O N CE upon a time there was a woman who had three daught- 
ers, the eldest of whom was named One-Eye, because she 
had but a single eye in the middle of her forehead ; and the second 
was called Two-eyes, because she was like other mortals ; and the 
third, Three- Eyes, because she had three eyes, and one of which 
was in the centre of her forehead, like her eldest sister. But, 
because the second sister had nothing out of the common in her 
appearance she was looked down upon by her sisters, and despised 
by her mother. “You are no better than common folks,” they 
would say to her; “you do not belong to us;” and then they 

246 


ONE EYE , TWO EYES , THREE EYES 


247 


would push her about, and give her coarse clothing, and nothing 
else to eat but their leavings. 

Once it happened that Two-Eyes had gone into the forest to 
tend the goat ; and she went very hungry, because her sisters had 
given her very little to eat that morning. She sat down upon 
a hill, and cried. By-and-by she looked up, and saw a woman 
standing by, who asked, “Why are you weeping, Two-Eyes ?” 
“Because I have two eyes like ordinary people,” replied the 
maiden, “and therefore my mother and sisters dislike me, push me 
into corners, throw me their old clothes, and give me nothing to 
eat but what they leave. Today they have given me so little that 
I am still hungry.” “Dry your eyes,” said the wise woman. “I 
will tell you something which shall prevent you from being 
hungry again. You must say to your goat — 

‘Little kid, milk 
Table, appear!’ 

and immediately a well-filled table will stand before you with deli- 
cate food upon it, of which you can eat as much as you please. 
And when you are satisfied, and have done with the table, you 
must say — 

‘Little kid, milk 
Table, depart!’ 

and it will disappear directly.” With these words the wise 
woman went away, and little Two-Eyes thought to herself she 
would try at once if what the woman said were true, for she felt 
very hungry indeed. 

“Little kid, milk 
Table, appear!” 


248 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


said the maiden, and immediately a table covered with a white 
cloth stood before her, with a knife and fork, and silver spoon; 
and the most delicate dishes were ranged in order upon it, and 
everything as warm as if they had been just taken away from 
the fire. Two-Eyes said a short grace, and then began to eat; 
and when she had finished she pronounced the words which the 
wise woman had told her — 

“Little kid, milk 
Table, depart!” 

and directly the table and all that was on it quickly disappeared. 
“This is wonderful housekeeping,” said the maiden, in high glee; 
and at evening she went home with her goat, and found an earthen 
dish which her sisters had left her filled with their pickings. She 
did not touch it ; and the next morning she went off again without 
taking the meagre breakfast which was left out for her. The first 
and second time she did this the sisters thought nothing of it ; but 
when she did the same thing the third morning their attention 
was roused, and they said, “All is not right with Two-Eyes; for 
she has left her meals twice, and has touched nothing of what 
was left for her; she must have found some other way of living.” 
So they determined that One-Eye should go with the maiden 
when she drove the goat to the meadow, and observe whether 
any one brought her things to eat or to drink. 

When Two-Eyes, therefore, was about to set off, One-Eye 
told her she was going with her to see whether she took proper 
care of the goat and fed her sufficiently. Two-Eyes, however, 
divined her sister’s object, and drove the goat where the grass 
was finest, and then said, “Come, One-Eye, let us sit down, and 
I will sing to you.” So One-Eye sat down, for she was quite 
tired with her unusual walk and the heat of the sun. 


ONE EYE , TWO EYES , THREE EYES 


249 


‘‘Are you awake or asleep, One-Eye? 

Are you awake or asleep ?” 

sang Two-Eyes until her sister really went to sleep. As soon as 
she was quite sound, the maiden had her tgJble out, and ate and 
drank all she needed ; and by the time One-Eye awoke again the 
table had disappeared, and the maiden said to her sister, “Come, 
we will go home now ; while you have been sleeping the goat might 
have run about all over the world.” So they went home, and 
after Two-Eyes had left her meal untouched, the mother in- 
quired of One-Eye what she had seen, and she was obliged to con- 
fess that she had been asleep. 

The following morning the mother told Three-Eyes that 
she must go out and watch Two-Eyes, and see who brought her 
food, for it was certain that some one must. So Three-Eyes told 
her sister that she was going to accompany her that morning to 
see if she took care of the goat and fed her well; but Two-Eyes 
saw through her design, and drove the goat again to the best 
feeding-place. Then she asked her sister to sit down and she 
would sing to her, and Three-Eyes did so, for she was very tired 
with her long walk in the heat of the sun. Then Two-Eyes be- 
gan to sing as before — 

“Are you awake, Three-Eyes?” 

but, instead of continuing as she should have done, saying: 

“Are you asleep, Three Eyes?” she said by mistake, “Are 
you asleep, Two-Eyes?” and so went on singing — 

“Are you awake, Three-Eyes? 

Are you asleep, Two-Eyes?” 

By-and-by Three-Eyes closed two of her eyes, and went to sleep 
with them ; but the third eye, which was not spoken to, kept open. 


250 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


Three-Eyes, however, cunningly shut it too, and feigned to be 
asleep, while she was really watching ; and soon Two-Eyes, think- 
ing all safe, repeated the words: 

“Little kid, milk 
Table, appear!” 

and as soon as she was satisfied she said the old words — 

“Little kid, milk 
Table, depart!” 

Three-Eyes watched all these proceedings; and presently Two- 
Eyes came and awoke her, saying, “Ah, sister! you are a good 
watcher; but come, let us go home now.” When they reached 
home Two-Eyes again ate nothing ; and her sister told her mother 
she knew now why the haughty girl would not eat their victuals. 
“When she is out in the meadow,” said her sister, she says, 

* ‘Little kid, milk 

Table, appear f 

and directly a table comes up laid out with meat and wine, and 
everything of the best, much better than we have ; and as soon as 
she has had enough she says — 

‘Little kid, milk 
Table, depart!’ 

and all goes away directly, as I clearly saw. Certainly she did 
put to sleep two of my eyes, but the one in the middle of my 
forehead luckily kept awake!” 


ONE EYE , TWO EYES, THREE EYES 


251 


“Will you have better things than we?” cried the envious 
mother; “then you shall lose the chance;” and, so saying, she took 
a carving-knife and killed the goat. 

As soon as Two-Eyes saw this she went out sorrowfully 
to the old spot, and sat down where she had sat before to weep 
bitterly. All at once the wise woman stood in front of her again, 
and asked why she was crying. “Must I not cry,” replied she, 
“when the goat which used to furnish me every day with a dinner, 
according to your promise, has been killed by my mother, and I 
am again suffering hunger and thirst?” “Two-Eyes,” said the 
wise woman, “I will give you a piece of advice. Beg your sisters 
to give you the entrails of the goat, and bury them in the earth 
before the housedoor, and your fortune will be made.” So say- 
ing she disappeared, and Two-Eyes went hojne, and said to her 
sisters, “Dear sisters, do give me some part of the slain kid; I 
desire nothing else — let me have the entrails.” The sisters 
laughed and readily gave them to her ; and she buried them secret- 
ly before the threshold of the door, as the wise woman had bidden 
her. 

The following morning they found in front of the house a 
wonderfully beautiful tree, with leaves of silver and fruits of gold 
hanging from the boughs. There was nothing more splendid 
to be seen in the world. The two elder sisters were quite 
ignorant how the tree came where it stood ; but Two-Eyes per- 
ceived that it was produced by the goat’s entrails, for it stood on 
the exact spot where she 'rad buried them. As soon as the mother 
saw it she told One-Eye to break off some of the fruit. One-Eye 
went up to the tree, and pulled a bough towards her, to pluck off 
the fruit, but the bough flew back again directly out of her hands; 
and so it did every time she took hold of it, till she was forced 
to give up, for she could not obtain a single golden apple in spite 
of all her endeavors. Then the mother said to Three-Eyes, “You 


252 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


climb up, for you can see better with your three eyes than your 
sister with her one.” Three-Eyes, however, was not more fortu- 
nate than her sister, for the golden apples flew back as soon as 
she touched them. At last the mother became so impatient 
she climbed the tree herself; but she met with no more success 
than either of her daughters, and grasped the air only when 
she thought she had the fruit. Two-Eyes now thought she would 
try, and said to her sisters, “Let me get up, perhaps I may be 
successful.” “Oh, you are very likely indeed,” said they, “with 
your two eyes; you will see well, no doubt!” So Two-Eyes 
climbed the tree, and, directly she touched the boughs, the golden 
apples fell into her hands, so that she plucked them as fast as 
she could, and filled her apron before she went down. Her 
mother took them from her, but returned her no thanks; and the 
two sisters, instead of treating Two-Eyes better than they had 
done, were only the more envious of her, because she alone could 
gather the fruits— in fact, they treated her worse. 

One morning, not long after the springing up of the apple- 
tree, the three sisters were all standing together beneath it, when 
in the distance a young knight was seen riding towards them. 
“Make haste, Two-Eyes!” exclaimed the two elder sisters; “make 
haste, and creep out of our way, that we may not be ashamed 
of you;” and, so saying, they put over her in great haste an 
empty cask which stood near, and which covered the golden ap- 
ples as well, which she had just been plucking off. Soon the 
knight came up to the tree, and the sisters saw he was a very 
handsome man. He stopped to admire the fine silver leaves 
and golden fruit, and presently asked to whom the tree belonged, 
for he should like to have a branch off it. One-Eye and Three- 
Eyes replied that the tree belonged to them; and they tried to 
pluck a branch off for the knight. They had their trouble for 
nothing, however, for the boughs flew back as soon as they touched 


ONE EYE , TWO EYES , THREE EYES 


253 


them. “It is very wonderful,” cried the knight, “that this 
tree should belong to you, and yet you cannot pluck the fruit!” 
The sisters, however, maintained that it was theirs; but while 
they spoke Two-Eyes rolled a golden apple from underneath 
the cask, so that it traveled to the feet of the knight, for she was 
angry, because her eldest sisters had not spoken the truth. When 
he saw the apple he was astonished, and asked where it came 
from ; and One-Eye and Three-Eyes said they had another sister, 
but they dared not let her be seen, because she had only two eyes, 
like common folk! The knight, however, would see her, and 
called, “Two-Eyes, come here!” and soon she made her appear- 
ance from under the cask. The knight was bewildered at her 
great beauty, and said, “You, Two-Eyes, can surely break off a 
bough of this tree for me?” “Yes,” she replied, “that I will, for 
it is my property;” and climbing up, she easily broke off a branch 
with silver leaves and golden fruit, which she handed to the 
knight. “What can I give you in return, Two-Eyes?” asked the 
knight. “Alas! if you will take me with you I shall be happy, 
for now I suffer hunger and thirst, and am in trouble and grief 
from early morning to late evening; take me, and save me!” 
Thereupon the knight raised Two-Eyes upon his saddle, and 
took her home to his father’s castle. There he gave her beautiful 
clothes, and all she wished to eat or to drink; and afterwards, 
because his love for her had become so great, he married her, 
and a very happy wedding they had. 

Her two sisters meanwhile were very jealous when Two- 
Eyes was carried off by the knight ; but they consoled themselves 
by saying, “The wonderful tree remains still for us; and even 
if we cannot get at the fruit, everybody that passes will stop to 
look at it, and then come and praise it to us. Who knows 
when our lucky day will come?” But the morning after this speech 
however, the tree disappeared, and with it all their hopes. 


254 


FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES 


When Two-Eyes that same day looked out of her chamber win- 
dow, behold, the tree stood before it, and there remained! 

For a long time after this occurrence Two-Eyes lived in 
the enjoyment of the greatest happiness; and one morning two 
poor women came to the palace and begged for alms. Two-Eyes, 
after looking narrowly at their faces, recognized her two sisters, 
One-Eye and Three-Eyes, who had come to such great poverty 
that they were forced to wander about, begging their bread 
from day to day. Two-Eyes, however, bade them welcome, in- 
vited them in, and took care of them, till they both repented of the 
evil which they had done to their sister in the days of their child- 
hood. 



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